


fight so dirty (but your love so sweet)

by lunariajen



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M, Minor Violence, Morally Ambiguous Character, hyuck's a villain, mark's a hero, the rest's a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:59:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25630219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunariajen/pseuds/lunariajen
Summary: "We all pretend to be the heroes on the good side but what if we're the villains on the other?"Donghyuck really wanted to keep it peaceful. He believes his life is great. But deep down he knows. He knows he has to bring back a part of him that's been forgotten and neglected for years. The city is not at peace. The government is not lawful. And therefore Haechan, a powerful supervillain, awakens once again to battle the hero. Who also happens to be his boyfriend.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47
Collections: The Markhyuck Zine Round One





	fight so dirty (but your love so sweet)

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: #MHZ004  
> A superhero saves the world by wiping the memories of the supervillain and anyone who knew them, then reintegrating the villain into society. Character A accidentally finds out that he was the world's most powerful supervillain.
> 
> markhyuck nation here i go again
> 
> main characters are morally grey but i do not support violence, toxic relationships or anything of this kind. if you’re uncomfortable with graphic descriptions avoid scenes marked with an asterisk.
> 
> title from 5sos teeth
> 
> [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/21y4naaegbzlcflk2wcn343eq/playlist/1Qel5wBTLnKfXrmEj5sSQr)
> 
> enjoy!

**Part 1. The realization.**

"I really don't know if it's a good idea." A quiet voice echoes in the empty hallway.

"Too late." 

"We can still back out-"

"Jeno. Go crazy?"

"Go stupid…"

"Good. Now pick the door lock." Another voice firmly commands, soon followed by the sound of the door being open. "Perfect. See, Jen? We're good. Stop panicking."

"Fuck, I hate it here," Jeno mumbles and walks into the dark room.

How they ended up breaking into a governmental company’s skyscraper? There is no particular answer to this question. Neither a good reason why. Lock up four drunk college kids in a room and you might end up with a similar outcome. Especially if one of them has an access card to the doors of the said building.

"What are you a coward for? Jaemin's watching down the hall and Chenle's in the janitor's room, shutting down the cameras." The other boy turns on the main computer and sits on a chair with his legs crossed.

"You're way too confident, Donghyuck. We might end up in jail."

Donghyuck grimaces and pats Jeno on the shoulder. "I said we're good." He turns back to the computer and searches for files. "Confidential, don't open? Who names folders like that, of course, I'm going to open it now."

"Donghyuck…"

"Oh, you whiny baby." Donghyuck shakes his head as he scrolls through documents. “Would you look at this… our prime minister has committed tax fraud. Not only him. There are lots of interesting facts here… Well, not so interesting, but they could end careers of the majority of our politicians.”

“That’s boring. Scroll down.”

For a few seconds, the only audible sounds are their quickened breaths and the computer working. 

"Ex-villains?” Donghyuck says after a while. “We don't have any villains in this country. We don't have anyone to fight them either." He snorts and moves on.

"Wait. Did you see that picture?" Jeno kneels next to Donghyuck's chair, intensely staring at the screen. The boy scrolls back up and opens the document.

"That's my high school biology teacher… Why is he in the ex-villains file?"

"There's more!" The two widen their eyes as they read pages and pages about the so-called villains. It's just that, they've never heard about them. Instead, they recognize the guy who works in a nearby flower shop... The cashier lady in the grocery store across their college dorm... And the rising politician. 

"This is crazy." Donghyuck whispers. At one moment, he stops scrolling. Both Jeno and he remain quiet, holding their breaths.

"This…" Jeno chokes out. His trembling hand pointing at one picture.

"No way."

"You… Holy shit."

"No fucking way."

Donghyuck stares at the screen with knitted eyebrows. Jeno plugs in a pen drive, downloading the file. They don't speak until Jeno's finished.

"How do they… exterminate the villains?" Donghyuck says in a weak voice. Jeno shoves his chair aside, taking over the spot in front of the computer. He closes the folder and searches through many other ones. Time seems to slow down. He sucks in his breath and drops from his knees to sit on the cold floor.

"They wipe out their memories. And memories of everyone about them."

"Jeno…" Donghyuck says hesitantly. "How did you first meet Jaemin?"

“Ah, he knocked into me on his skateboard on the first day of school."

"And how did you first meet Chenle?"

"Oh goodness..." Jeno sighs and rests his forehead on his palm. “I don’t even know, Jaemin found him somewhere.”

"Okay. Now, how did you first meet me?"

"I was… You were…" He pauses. "Wait. I don't- I don't remember. It feels like you've always been there." He widens his eyes in shock and stares into Donghyuck's equally widened ones.

They stay like this for a few seconds. Donghyuck having a criminal past was the last thing they expected to find out this night.

"I hardly remember anything before my accident… I only see some scenes in my dreams."

"Wait, I just realized… My first memory with you is when I visited you in the hospital. But why would I do that if we were strangers?"

Donghyuck opens his mouth but Jeno's ringtone interrupts him. The boy glances at the screen and picks up.

 _"Guys, get out of there, the security will be back in two minutes, we have to evacuate from the building."_ Chenle's voice comes out rushed and muffled, they barely understand what he’s saying. 

"We're on the seventh floor, we can't get out of the building in two minutes!" Donghyuck grits his teeth and stands up, ending the call as Jeno closes the computer.

"I bet you've done more extreme stuff as Haechan." Jeno scoffs shortly and pushes the boy out of the room, locking the door. They sprint through the dark hallway and soon bump into Jaemin. Before he gets the chance to ask what's happening, Donghyuck grabs his hand and drags him down the stairs.

"A minute left!" Jeno looks at his phone. "Five more floors to go!"

Donghyuck tries to focus on increasing his speed, he really does. But the loud panting of the two other boys, who look much better than him, after all, makes him think. He really must have done this countless times before since he doesn't feel tired. He wonders when was the last time he felt tired at all.

They finally reach the bottom floor and storm out through the exit door. A black SUV pulls up right away. Donghyuck finds himself nearly laying half on top of Jaemin in the back. Before they can sit up straight, they're pushed into the seats. Chenle turns his head at them with a smile and shifts the gears. 

"We succeeded!" 

"Did you find anything worth our struggle?" Jaemin groans and fastens the seatbelt.

Jeno turns around to give Donghyuck a questioning look. The boy sighs. He nods and then Jeno starts speaking.

"To put it shortly, we might have found out about Donghyuck's secret identity from before his accident."

“Donghyuck’s _what_?”

...

_***** _

**__** _He makes his way down the stairs. At some point, he hears a painfully loud crash. The building shakes. He makes a satisfied nod, he wasn't sure if this would work. He walks up to the elevator, fallen from the very top of the skyscraper. He presses the doors open. What he sees are lifeless bodies, laying one on another in chaos. Blood, bones sticking out of flesh. He doesn't flinch, doesn't look disgusted or regretful. He closes the doors and turns around. Someone lets out an ear-piercing scream._

_***** _

Donghyuck wakes up in cold sweat. Soon, he realizes he’s the one screaming. He blinks a few times, Jeno’s concerned face appears above his. He feels Jeno’s strong arms pinning him to the bed by the shoulders.

“Hyuck… Are you okay? You were tossing around like a fish taken out of water. Jaemin even texted me why you’re screaming at 2 AM.”

“Oh… Just… Nightmares again. Goodness, I think I’m sick in the head. This was terrifying.”

“Maybe you should go get checked up. Calming teas and all that doesn’t seem to be working for you anymore.”

“Yeah…”

“Do you want me to stay with you here?”

“Yeah… Please.”

“Okay.”

So Jeno stays, he lays down next to the boy and grabs his hand. He always does that whatever Donghyuck gets those awful nightmares. Which is often, veryoften. They’re vivid and violent, also repetitive. The worst thing is, they feel like memories.

**Part 2. The denial.**

“That’s nonsense. Let’s drop out of college, Jeno. We can start a farming business somewhere. Anything is better than those stupid exams.” Donghyuck lays his head on his desk with a loud bang. He feels so stupid he can nearly hear the echo inside of his skull.

“Just wait until finals. We're all going to fucking die.” Jeno lets out a bitter laugh and adjusts the blanket falling off his shoulders. The two spend the second weekend in a row without moving from their shared room. Jeno hardly moves from his bed, and when he does, it’s usually to grab another textbook. Donghyuck is naturally quite opposite in personality from his best friend, so he keeps walking around in the room. Studying is his worst nightmare. Not like Jeno enjoys it, but at the very least, he’s able to stay in one place unmoving. 

This, as well as his dreams and unexpectedly good stamina, make his identity as Haechan pretty believable. And the sudden amnesia after his supposed accident only adds up to the list. But even though it has been quite some time since their nightly adventure and trespassing the gates of Chenle’s dad’s workplace, he still hasn’t read the files about himself. Surprisingly, his friends don’t push this topic either, yet he knows once the exam season is over, they will have lots of things to talk about. 

...

Not everyone gets to live through this hard time so peacefully, however.

“Shh, Jisung! You’re going to blast my earphones with your screaming!” The room not so far away from Jeno’s and Donghyuck’s quiet, a bit depressive estate. Filled with darkness, uneven snores, and angry whispers of one boy. “Mark stop tickling him! My roommate fell asleep for the first time in three days.”

“I thought you didn’t like him?” Mark laughs along with Jisung.

“Oh, please, Mark! Renjun loves him so much he doesn’t even let him out of their room!”

“Jisung…” Renjun holds himself back from shouting at the boy, closes his eyes, and lets out a deep breath. “I only gently suggested that he should stay in and study so he doesn’t have to retake any exams again this time. And Jaemin listens to me, unlike the two of you! Plus, all his friends are also in literal seclusion and I’m generous enough to bring him coffee to bed. He doesn’t have any reason to go out.”

“Oh, what a rant. They’re married.” Renjun watches as on the screen of his laptop, Jisung dramatically puts his one hand on his chest and the other one on Mark’s shoulder. He doesn’t have the energy to explain his complicated feelings for his roommate this time. 

“I think we have a better topic to talk about.” He sighs. ”Mark, I’m looking at you.”

"Uh, I think the internet connection is breaking." The oldest of the trio scratches his neck, keeping his eyes low. "We can talk about it once we all meet."

"Which might as well be next month. Go on, Mark, tell us. Tell us why you got nagged at by the prime minister."

"Oh, it's nothing. I mean… Well, last time I fought with a villain I kinda smashed an old building but it's okay now, they decided to just get rid of the ruins and tell the people its construction was unstable and unsafe."

"You really can't go for a day without breaking something, can you?"

"Listen, my hand slipped, okay? Stop making me feel bad…"

"Whatever. And bring me the device." Renjun rolls his eyes and rests his head on his hand.

"Can't you just make a copy of it?"

"No."

"It's such a pain in the ass to having to borrow this thing from you." Mark whines and Jisung nods.

"It's safer this way."

"You should make more of those," Jisung suggests. "Like three."

"Sure, I'll start mass production and I'll be selling them on eBay. Not one crazy villain will get an idea to cause half of the population severe amnesia." Renjun's voice is filled with sarcasm.

"You didn't have to make me feel so stupid…" Jisung hides his face in his palms.

“Whatever. I'm not making any more. Mark, stop by my campus tomorrow."

When they finally end the call, Renjun gets up from his bed. He opens the window, drinks a glass of water, and glances at the peacefully sleeping Jaemin. He wishes he could sleep this peacefully too. 

…

"Dude, what the fuck…" Jeno mumbles into his pillow, with his eyes still closed.

"Sorry, Jen, I knocked over a bottle," Donghyuck replies, shuffling around in the cluttered room to pick an outfit for the day. He sets for a pair of cuffed jeans and a loose, beige pullover. Definitely fancier than the usual sweatpants and a hoodie.

Jeno lifts his head to take a look at his phone, placed on the bedside table. "It's 4 fucking 30." 

"It's a perfect time to get up! At five I can head out of campus, take a walk at the crack of dawn, study in the park, grab some coffee, get early to the 8 AM class…" Donghyuck grins and leans down to face Jeno. "Bring you breakfast to bed?"

"You better do." Jeno scoffs and closes his eyes again, only to take one more look at Donghyuck later. "You have a date today or what?"

"You're so grumpy in the mornings…" Donghyuck lets out a deep sigh. "No, I'm meeting Renjun's friend today. He's supposed to sell me some textbooks for the next year."

"Okay… I won't question you anymore, get out of here. I still have three hours of sleep scheduled." Jeno covers his head with his blue duvet. Donghyuck chuckles and makes his way to the bathroom. 

His morning overall goes just as planned. Studying in the park is not as comfortable, due to cold weather. But it gradually gets warmer, and the sky finally brightens up. Today both Jeno and he take their last exam for a while. Though knowing Jeno's art history professor, the poor boy will get a week of rest at most. At seven, the nearest coffee shop opens and Donghyuck moves his studying spot over there. Later he grabs coffee and some fast food for Jeno and heads back to their room.

"Oh, you're back to getting up early, I see." He hears someone call out to him on the corridor. 

"Yeah, it's finally not freezing." He smiles as Yangyang passes by him.

When he closes the door, perhaps he's not being gentle enough.

"Listen." Jeno points his finger at him once he nears his bed. "This is the second time this damn morning you wake me up, and boy, I will not hesitate- Hold on. You actually brought me food?"

"I said I would, didn't I?" Donghyuck grins and places the takeout on Jeno's lap. The boy already adjusted himself into a somewhat sitting position, and soon he devours the not so healthy breakfast, happily nodding. 

"When was the last time I told you I love you?"

"Probably like a year ago."

"Well, I'm telling you this now then. If you brought me breakfast every day, I'd ask for your hand in marriage."

"Ew, definitely not gonna do this then." Donghyuck laughs and watches Jeno eat with excitement. There's something captivating about him. Aside from being naturally handsome, his body is covered with many tattoos. Donghyuck’s favorite ones are on his neck, he often has to hold himself back from tracing the small patterns with his finger.

"Jeno~" Donghyuck nudges Jeno's shoulder after a while. "We've got fifteen minutes until classes."

"This is fine. I’m sure you can run pretty damn fast." Jeno stuffs the last piece of a burger into his mouth. "Oh, by the way, Chenle's sleeping over tonight. Jaemin too. We're gonna talk about you." He mumbles.

"Shit. Chenle's sleeping in my bed. I'm never laying in one bed with Jaemin again." Donghyuck shuffles around in the room, throwing Jeno's stuff into his bag. "And also… I don't know if I want them both to know everything… I must have done crazy shit."

"We're all friends, Hyuck. They're gonna accept you." Jeno stands up too. 

"We've already figured out the two of us have been friends before. They only know me the way I am now."

"Ah, stop being so negative! It's my brand." 

Ten minutes later, they're already rushing into their morning class. The professor is not there yet. Jeno runs up to sit next to Renjun, who only rolls his eyes at him. Donghyuck takes a seat right beside them and smirks when he sees Jeno's every attempt at contacting the Chinese boy gets rejected. Renjun and Donghyuck have never liked each other very much, but because of Jaemin and Jeno, they learned to accept each other's presence.

Fast forward to the end of the school day, Donghyuck is on his third coffee and nearly vibrates. 

"You're going to meet up with that guy now?" Jeno asks, packing his bag.

"Yeah."

"I can take your books to our room."

"Sure."

"Will you buy some beer on your way back?"

"Yeah."

"Hyuck?" Donghyuck locks his eyes with Jeno's. "You okay, dude?"

"Yeah? I'm just kinda, you know, shaky." He replies.

"You have low caffeine tolerance and you know very well about it." Jeno sends him a scolding glance.

"Ah, I couldn't sleep tonight. And who cares anyway? You only live once, Jeno!" Donghyuck throws his textbooks on the desk and storms out of the classroom. 

He's sitting on a bench near the campus for quite a long while. Many people pass by, he focuses his gaze on one blonde boy. He looks extremely tired, Donghyuck thinks. He's rather handsome anyway though. Just as Donghyuck subtly checks out the print on his hoodie, the boy comes closer to him. Donghyuck's fight or flight reaction is about to turn on, but then the stranger speaks.

"Hey, is this H- Donghyuck? I'm Mark, Renjun's friend."

"Oh, hi. Yeah. Nice to meet you."

The conversation goes smoothly, at least on Donghyuck's side. Meeting new people isn't challenging for him. It's just that Mark's eyes don't seem to leave him even for a moment. In an act of bravery, Donghyuck asks for his number and though the boy clearly hesitates, he gives in. Soon, they part ways. When Donghyuck comes back to the campus, and later to his room, his friends are already there.

"You just don't know how to appreciate our Jeno, you ugly ass het." Chenle scoffs, snuggling closer to the mentioned boy, patting his arm.

"What?!" Jaemin gasps. "First thing, you're the only one in this room with a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, but you’ve had five of them in college alone.”

“I– Whatever, I appreciate Jeno just as much as you do. Also, my ass isn't ugly! Is it, Jeno?"

"It's fine," Jeno replies simply and gets a satisfied smile in response. 

"Both of you, let the boy live, will you?" Donghyuck chuckles and plops on the floor next to them, giving each a can of beer he bought at a store earlier.

"Ooh, we're doing illegal things again." On Chenle's face forms a mischievous grin.

"It's my hobby." Donghyuck smiles back and throws his phone at Jeno. "Renjun's friend is kinda cute. I've got his number if you'd like."

To be frank, Mark didn't make any strong first impression on Donghyuck. All he could say about him was _cute, nervous, sleepy; wore a red hoodie._

"Interesting." Jeno picks it up but doesn't do anything else. “But you can have him.”

"Which one?" Jaemin asks, struggling to open the can.

"Mark."

"Ah, yeah. I've seen him a couple of times. Mark's cousin is also a very pretty boy."

"I'm afraid Jeno has his eyes settled on someone already." Chenle smirks and they all laugh as Jeno puts him in a chokehold.

"Gentlemen, let's get down to business." Jeno lets him go and stands up.

"To defeat the Huns?"

Chenle's screech fills up the room accompanied by laughter, as Jeno extends his arms towards him again.

"No. To read the damn files we stole."

"Ah, honestly I forgot about it already."

"Same," Jaemin adds.

A few minutes later Donghyuck and Jeno are settled on the latter's bed with a laptop, while you other two sprawl out on Donghyuck's. 

"So first thing… There are villains but once they're defeated our mysterious superhero wipes out everybody's memory so it seems like the city is safe." Jeno sums up the first page. "And the device they use for this purpose looks like this."

Jaemin squints his eyes when the boy turns around the screen. "Hold on, it looks like the stick Renjun's designing!"

"What is it for?"

"I don't know, man. Every time I ask, he says it's to hit me in the head."

"Valid."

"Wha-"

"Anyways, our great savior, the superhero's name isn't mentioned anywhere. They refer to him as M. Like in James Bond or some shit."

"Tell us about Hyuck~" Chenle whined, rolling to the edge of the bed.

Jeno scrolls further through the document. Once he reaches Haechan, he widens his eyes. Everything is neatly written there. The date of his parents' and sister's death. The date of his first appearance as a villain. The number of people who died because of him. The amount of money he owes the country for destruction. Jeno is overwhelmed by the big numbers. He glances at Donghyuck who almost unnoticeably shakes his head. Jeno understands right away.

"It seems like the government's requirements for a villain are as low as in fucking Miraculous Ladybug."

"What do you mean?"

"Guess Haechan was just a mere hooligan in spandex."

"Pretty petty," Jaemin leaves a comment. "I hope he at least stole something cool."

"Very lame," Chenle adds. "What were we even excited about? The four of us now are more villainous than him. Let's just do something productive and play games."

"How is that productive?" Jeno snorts but they end up playing games for the next three hours. Sometime in the middle, Chenle breaks the big news - he's taking a short trip back to China so his grandparents can meet his girlfriend. And though he doesn't say it, everyone knows that now he won't be able to escape the marriage.

And then comes the reason why Donghyuck insisted so much on sleeping together with Chenle. While the other three were still changing, he was already fast asleep, snuggled up to the wall. And Jaemin… well.

"But I'm cold, Jeno." 

"We're not going to cuddle."

"Jeno…" Jaemin whines and Jeno wraps the duvet tighter around them.

"Now you won't be cold. Just please, stop fucking talking."

Donghyuck sighs on the other bed, turning off the light.

"Jeno…"

"For fuck's sake."

"Please? If I was Renjun, you would hug me, wouldn't you?"

"Shut up," Jeno and Donghyuck say in unison.

"So you would… It's okay, he's one of the few people aside from me who are pretty enough to stand by your side. But still- oh? It worked?" Jaemin cackles when Jeno groans and wraps his arm around his waist. "See? It doesn't hurt to get a bit warmer."

"Don't show this clingy bastard your weak side, Jeno," Donghyuck warns. 

"Whatever, I treasure sleep more than dignity," Jeno replies and allows Jaemin to hide his face in the crook of his neck. "As long as he shuts the fuck up."

"I will~ Thank you for being my only bro who allows me to cuddle him. You don't even know-"

"Jaemin." Jeno and Donghyuck say in unison once again.

"Alright, alright, I'm shutting up."

"Fucking finally."

…

Jeno and Donghyuck come to an agreement. Everything stays between the two of them. Jeno takes as a mission getting close enough to Renjun to be able to investigate the mysterious stick. At the same time, Donghyuck realizes his new friend Mark Lee seems sketch. He remembers very well how he slipped up while first greeting him. And he also remembers the cautious stare he gave him.

As of Haechan, they don't talk about it. Donghyuck stated clearly he wants to leave it in the past. The truth was too painful, and for the first time, he feels like the biggest coward.

"You're meeting up with Mark again?" Jeno asks on one Friday morning. If that's a good word to describe 4:45.

"Can you tell by my clothes?" Donghyuck chuckles and spins around in his plain black tight jeans and a flannel tucked in.

"Well, yeah. You always take extra effort not to look like you just woke up five minutes ago for him. You even wear skinny jeans. Wow." 

"I want him to have a good impression of me."

Jeno raises one of his eyebrows but doesn't comment. Instead, he lays his head back on his pillow. "Okay. Now kindly don't interrupt my fucking beauty sleep."

By the end of the day, Donghyuck finds himself at a fast-food restaurant. He keeps stuffing himself with burgers while watching Mark struggle and nearly cry over his salad.

"I hate it. They had to put so much spinach, didn't they… At least they put in that fucking chicken." The latter sighs and stabs a tomato, yet another spoonful of greens landing in his mouth.

"You speak like my best friend sometimes," Donghyuck smirks slightly. "You two would make great boyfriends." He says and waits for a reaction. 

Donghyuck could swear he's not gay. He admits he's bi, though, but it's all Jeno's fault anyway. So he internally blames Jeno for his reaction to what happens next too.

"Ah, you go on dates with me only to sell me off to your best friend next? What a shame." Mark makes an overdramatic expression and shakes his head. 

Donghyuck can feel a terrible blush creeping upon his face. "I'd give you to him for free." He tries to play it off. "Duh, I'd even pay him to take you away from me at times like this."

"You speak like my best friend sometimes," Mark repeats what the other boy said earlier. "You two clearly wouldn't make good boyfriends."

"Renjun? Oh yeah. We can't stand each other. If it wasn't for Jeno and Jaemin, we would completely ignore each other's existence." Donghyuck says and watches as Mark lowers his gaze, a bit uncomfortable. As if he knew something Donghyuck has no idea about.

This happens quite a lot. The mischievous side of Donghyuck forces him to constantly say things that Mark can't respond to without blowing up his supposed cover. As days pass by and they keep going on the so-called dates, Donghyuck is almost certain. The infamous M. is none other than Mark Lee himself.

...

"Jeno are you… Oh goodness, you said you wouldn't impulsively tattoo yourself anymore." Donghyuck drops his bag on the floor in pure disappointment when he enters his room approximately a month later. It’s not like it’s a common sight, just… Last time, the artist from the studio Jeno works in sometimes said manly men can’t have thigh and hips tattoos. So Jeno got himself one. Out of spite.

"It was planned."

"Sure it was. I've never seen you design this." Donghyuck sits down on his bed and leans closer to Jeno, glancing at the fresh ink underneath the skin on his right thigh. It’s two flowers, mostly in black but with a couple of orange lines.

"Oh… That's because it's Renjun's design…" Jeno says quietly, not looking up at the other boy. “Alstroemerias. Symbolize friendship, devotion, you know, strong bond. Also fortune.”

"You do realize it's hardly any better than as if you'd get his name or portrait tattooed, right?"

"...Perhaps. But if you drew me something, I could tattoo it too."

"Oh, don't lie to yourself. Would you kiss me?"

"Hell no."

"Would you kiss Renjun?"

"Ah…" Jeno rubs his temple. "Well, I see where you're coming from. Yeah. Actually, I already did…"

"You see, idiot? My gosh." Donghyuck groaned and fell on his back. "Congratulations. Please at least tell me you believe in bros before hoes."

"Who do you take me for? Of course, I'd choose you over him if necessary. I don't even know if he likes me back…"

"When it comes to Renjun, I doubt whether he's capable of feelings, you know. He's a little bitch."

"Yeah, but he's so fucking cute." Jeno lays flat on his back, covering his face with his palms.

"Cute boys will be the death of us, huh."

Jeno sits up right away, startled. He stares at Donghyuck with widened eyes for a good few seconds. "Hyuck? You… Who?!"

"Mark fucking Lee."

"Oh my gosh." Jeno plops down on Donghyuck's bed, jaw dropped. "Isn’t he the hero? I thought you wanted to fuck him up? Not just… like, fuck him?"

"I thought so too… But have you seen his dumb smile? He's so awfully nice even though he knows who I was."

"I suppose if you told him you know about everything, he wouldn't be so nice anymore." Jeno leaned on the wall, his arms behind his head. "What can I tell you, man. That sucks. As fuck. You fell for a debatable superhero and overall a disaster. But at least you had your proper gay awakening."

"I don't see how is that any good."

"I have some company." Jeno side-eyes him with a grin. 

"We've been best friends for years, I've always kept you company."

"Ah, shut up." He shakes his head. "It's a bit different now. It’s always more fun to be gay with somebody else."

They both chuckle and remain quiet for a long time. Just feeling comfortable in each other's presence.

…

Liking Mark Lee sucks indeed. He's so tired and slow, sometimes staring at Donghyuck for seconds before replying. Yet he's still pretty handsome and Donghyuck blushes under his gaze every single time. And that wouldn't even be that bad. In fact, it would be great, if only Haechan never existed. But he did and Donghyuck could still feel highly conflicted. He’s been constantly trying to push it all to the back of his mind.

"Did you sleep last night?" He chuckles when the boy stays unmoving for a short while, trying to recall what he's doing. He’s drinking coffee in a coffee shop, by the way.

"I took a nap."

"A nap? And it was your first time sleeping in his many days?"

"Two. I think my brain cells are dying."

"Yeah, I can nearly hear them screaming for help." Donghyuck shakes his head and glances at the bloody scratches on Mark's arms. "Are your opponents hard to beat?" He asks out of the blue.

"Yeah. But no one is as much of a pain in the ass as-" Mark suddenly stops and rubs his eyes. "Hold on. What do you mean?"

"I assumed you were an underground boxer." Donghyuck smiles innocently. Another slip up on Mark's side. He almost feels bad for using the fact that the boy is so sleep deprived. "Don't worry. I won't tell anybody."

"Oh. A boxer. Yeah... Thanks for keeping my secret for me, Hae- Hyuck."

Donghyuck grins and covers Mark's hand with his own. "We all have our secrets, Mark."

…

"Renjun…" Jeno breaks the kiss. The room is dark. He's sitting on Renjun's bed, with the boy himself in his lap.

"Quiet."

"Look."

Renjun drops his gaze at Jeno's phone, at the picture of his very own creation. After a few seconds of silence, he snorts and takes Jeno's face in his hands, bringing their foreheads together. "Are you not afraid that I'll just wipe out your memories now?"

"As long as you're the one reintroducing me to society, I don't think I'd mind that much."

Renjun chuckles shortly. "I can't fucking stand you sometimes." Then, he links their lips in another kiss.

"Can you bring memories back with that stick?" Jeno asks when he pulls away to catch a breath.

"Yeah."

"Can you bring back mine? About Donghyuck?"

Renjun stares into his eyes for a while and runs his thumb over his cheek. "Are you certain you want it?"

"As hell."

"Just beware it may have great consequences." Renjun's expression is serious. "And if we end up in jail for this, it's your fault and I _will_ fight you."

...

When Jeno comes back to the room, Donghyuck's in bed on his phone. Without any words, he lays down beside him. They hardly ever sleep together, so it alarms the boy right away.

"Jeno? Are you okay?" Donghyuck asks when Jeno keeps silently staring at the ceiling. "Hold on, did Renjun break your heart?"

"He brought them back."

"What?"

"He brought back my memories." Jeno looks Donghyuck in the eyes and the boy notices tears silently flowing down his cheeks. "We grew up together, Hyuck. We were kindergarten rivals, you know? You pushed me off the stairs once. The first time we got detention in elementary school after you decided to draw on the walls and I just went along with it. I remember it all now. Our sleepovers, high school trips, how you lived in my house after your family… And the day you decided to rebel against the world."

"Jeno…"

"My mom has always considered you her other son but now you two don't even know each other. You don't even remember your own parents and sister–" Jeno inhales sharply. "They were all so kind. Your mom, she… She…"

"It's okay. You can tell me in the morning." Donghyuck puts his head on Jeno's chest when the boy starts sobbing. He grips on the fabric of his t-shirt and grits his teeth. "Mark fucking Lee…"

As much as Donghyuck wanted to stay away. As much as he wanted to pretend his life has always been this peaceful... Once he realizes, what he's lost, the moment he sees his _brother_ cry because of this, he changes his mind. That night, Haechan is reborn.

**Part 3. The rebirth.**

"I can't steal that stick from Renjun."

"I'm not asking you to." Donghyuck sighs and leans his face on his palms. "You can just knock them out if necessary."

"I can't just beat up people?!"

"Jeno. Go crazy?"

"Go stupid." Jeno shakes his head and spins around on a chair. "That's really fucking stupid though."

"I'm a supervillain, Jeno. You remember it very well now. I need allies."

"We can check that politician off the list already. The same goes for our ex biology teacher. He's scary. And he never liked you."

"Hey!"

"I'm just stating facts." Jeno shrugs. "We're left with Jungwoo and Bae Joohyun." 

Jungwoo's flower shop is big and a bit cluttered. The walls are blue but it's not like they're especially visible. There's hardly any spot without different plants and amateur art pieces. Donghyuck and Jeno wait until there are no other customers and walk up to the counter. Donghyuck is in charge of explaining and he does a great job because Jungwoo believes him. He nods as he listens, but when Donghyuck asks the crucial question 'Do you want to join me?' Jungwoo's face drops.

"Donghyuck… Yeah, I know I lost years of my life. But now I have a new one. I have a new family, a new job, and I love it. I don't think I want to live knowing of the bad stuff I did. I'm actually somewhat grateful I was given a new chance." He sighs. "I kinda wish you didn't tell me all of this."

"Jeno," Donghyuck commands. Jeno takes a few steps closer. He takes a swing and Jungwoo's head bangs against the counter when he drops unconscious from the hit. "Good. Make him sit more comfortably as if he fell asleep. Let's just hope he thinks it was a dream... Idiot."

"Why would you call him that?" Jeno asks as he stumbles out of the flower shop, following his best friend. He keeps looking back, worried he’s hurt the man.

"How can he give up such an opportunity?! Does he not realize playing with people's minds isn't okay? Yeah, I don't want to fully associate with what I've done before too. Killing is never a good thing. World domination either. My plan was stupid, it's not like I could ever control politics anyway. But it's not about that at this point. Now I'm not fighting for justice for my parents, against the ignorance of media, governmental corruption, and such. Now I fight against M. and those who are responsible for what he's doing. Because I might be a villain but he's a one too."

With Bae Joohyun the situation is different. Shorter. She doesn't believe them in the first place. So Jeno stops Donghyuck from showing her evidence and they play it off as a prank. This way it ends up with just the two of them. Alone against the world.

The reality is way less dramatic, however. Not much changes. Donghyuck still comes into the room to see Jeno sprawled on the floor surrounded by some architecture plans and tattoo designs, and wakes up at 4:30 like a madman. The change is, instead of a walk, he takes trips to a gym.

"Come on, dude. It's fucking Monday 6:45, hit me with the anger of everyone who just had to wake up." Jeno shouts on the small boxing ring. They just started coming to Johnny’s place. Johnny is Jeno's friend, as well as a retired professional boxer.

"I haven't eaten breakfast yet!"

"And what about it? Just fucking hit me!"

"How are you so vigorous in the morning all of sudden?" Donghyuck asks and comes a bit closer. "Usually you curse at me for just waking you up before 7:30."

"Don't talk. Hit."

So Donghyuck does. And Jeno ends up with a bunch of bruises.

"You were hella good at boxing in high school. You still are. You just need to practice- Not on me though, I'll ask John." He says when they're freshened up, well-fed, and heading to their classes.

"I don't think I can do that…"

"Oh, don’t be an idiot. You can. You can do much more than that."

Turns out, Donghyuck actually can. He doesn't win against Johnny, but he's doing well and he starts regular training. And he picks up fencing too. Just in case Mark's got some other skills up his sleeve.

“Think about it, Hyuck,” Jeno says one evening they spend at the park. “You wake up early as fuck, all energized. You often don’t sleep at night, which is unhealthy, by the way. Coffee has bad effects on you and doesn’t make you feel less tired. You wanna know why? Because you don’t get tired in the first place.”

“This begins to make sense…” Donghyuck kicks a pebble.

“Of course it does! Now listen. You know we were troublemakers as kids, right? A few times we got into fights. Guess who always made it out without any injuries.”

“Seriously? I should try it out–”

“No. It doesn’t work like this. You have enhanced durability. You don’t get tired, you don’t get severely injured and all that. Unless _you_ hurt yourself. Also, you’re not immortal, so please don’t do anything fucking stupid. You’re human, eventually, you will be defeated. Mark beast you once, after all.”

Donghyuck glances up at Jeno, squints his eyes and grins. 

“Go crazy?”

…

Once Renjun finds out, he doesn't storm out of the dorms, of course. He doesn't run unless his life depends on it... which actually happens quite often anyway. But his pace is quick as he makes his way to the cafeteria. Once he enters it, some students stare at him. Just by the way he walks, with his gaze focused on Lee Jeno, and knitted eyebrows, they know a drama is about to begin.

And they're not wrong. Renjun stops right before where the boy is standing, the tips of their shoes nearly touching. He grabs the collar of his navy blue shirt and drags him down so their faces are at the same level. Deep down he hates himself for thinking Jeno looks like a cute confused puppy when he stares into his widened eyes.

"Lee Jeno. You lied to me."

Jeno's eyes widen even more. He blinks a few times before responding. "Well, you were lying to me the entire time before too.” He shrugs. “I guess we're even."

"No, we're not, Jeno." Renjun hisses through gritted teeth. "You're the bad guy here, don't you see?"

"Oh, really?"

"Gentlemen, take it outside. Some of us gathered here today just to have one peaceful lunch. Please." Some guy on the side, probably Yangyang, says loudly enough to be heard in the cafeteria full of whispers and discussions.

"No problem, buddy," Renjun replies and grabs Jeno's sleeve to drag him out of the room and then building. He only stops when they're on the parking lot, in a spot where students rarely come.

"So? Now what? You're gonna blast me with your flashlight stick and make me forget everything?" Jeno says with a voice full of bitterness and irony. He crosses his arms on his chest and stares until Renjun speaks up.

"No. I flashed Jaemin though and I will flash Chenle and Jisung. Don't worry, I upgraded the device. They don't remember only the villains’ matter. Let's keep this between the four of us."

"You can't decide for them."

"Oh yes, I can. I have permission from the prime minister himself."

"They're our friends!" Jeno knits his eyebrows and takes a step closer.

"And? Jeno, do you realize what kind of a mess you're making with Donghyuck? You said you wouldn't do anything! Mark overworks himself just so the citizens can have lives without worrying about their safety. And you? You start a riot and what for? In the name of justice for bad people who were given a second chance with a minor sacrifice? What we do is good. What you do isn't. Donghyuck is literally a villain." Renjun scoffs. He looks up, right into Jeno's eyes. He doesn't look cute anymore. He looks outraged, angry, and disappointed. Renjun's heart clenches but he believes in what he said and no handsome boy can change that.

"You can't play with people's minds, Renjun. This isn't safe. What if other former villains were as fierce as Hyuck? Do you think Mark could stop them? Would you be able to explain why you took away their entire lives? You're so wise but you don't know people need to make mistakes in order to learn and grow? Oh and what about families of those killed by the villains, huh? What do you tell them? Car accidents? Heart attacks? Or maybe you just wipe them out as if they never existed?" Jeno shakes his head with a bitter smile. "What we do isn't good, maybe. But what you do isn't good either." He turns around and starts walking back into the building.

"Lee Jeno!" Renjun shouts and clenches his fists. He takes a step forward but the boy doesn't look back. "You idiot…" He whispers and stomps his foot before making his way back to his room.

…

"Please hold yourself back from doing something super fucking stupid, God bless," Jeno says as he waves Donghyuck off. 

"I will, fear no more, brother!" The other boy shouts, looking over his shoulder. He makes his way down the dorm corridor, greeting Yangyang passing by.

"If he's going to meet Mark, I'm pretty sure he won't," Renjun comments as he walks up to Jeno, arms crossed on his chest.

"I know." Jeno sighs and turns around to meet Renjun's skeptical gaze.

"Oh hey, I thought you two were fighting," Yangyang says when he stops at the door of his room, just a few feet away.

"We are," Renjun and Jeno respond in unison.

"Dating?" Jaemin, who just followed Renjun out of their room asks with sparkles in his eyes.

"No, Jaemin, Jeno and I are fighting." 

"He speaks to you as if they're your divorced parents," Yangyang raises one eyebrow and continues to struggle with the door lock.

"I know, right?" Jaemin looks at the boy and lets out an overdramatic sigh. "That’s pretty annoying. You're lucky you don't live with either of them, my dude."

"Sitting between them in calculus is enough for me." Yangyang chuckles before finally entering his room.

When the three are left alone, Jaemin tries his best to make the atmosphere less tense by babbling nonsense. He brings up the topic of the two boys fighting again but Jeno doesn't hear it all, as Renjun drags Jaemin to their room and the door immediately slams shut. He chuckles to himself and decides to go for a walk and call Chenle. He's not so sure if it was a good idea when the first thing he hears is a loud, happy scream. But anything is better than being left alone, overthinking when will Donghyuck decide to stir up trouble.

…

For Mark, the situation has always been different with Donghyuck. It's not the same fighting a random dude and your crush, right? And an unreciprocated one, on top of that. Frankly speaking, at some point Mark got so annoyed with the boy that he was sure his feelings vanished… But did they really? Even if, the moment they met again that one evening months ago, they resurfaced again. With every date, every shared kiss, Mark could feel himself falling deeper.

The two first met in high school and were never exactly friends. They talked quite often though, often enough for Mark to notice Donghyuck's charms. He never stayed in one place longer than necessary, kept picking up tons of new hobbies only to dump them two weeks later, loved adventures, and dragging Lee Jeno into trouble. Actually, he still does. But there was a time when Donghyuck stopped doing this, stopped coming to school at all. The next time Mark saw him was on a dark street, with fire in his eyes, a mask on his face, and mourning clothes. It was also the first time he saw Haechan.

Now, Mark doesn't like to think about the villain. He learned to somehow separate the Haechan of the past from Donghyuck in the present. He enjoys all evenings spent in his company, even if the same night he has to spend working on files or worse - catching some criminals. 

Mark Lee became M in a much lamer and more realistic way than Peter Parker became Spider-Man, for example. All it took was a year of hanging around the police academy students, some martial arts training, and a very rich, very powerful, politician of a stepfather. He couldn’t fly nor transform into Hulk, but he had good weapons and extreme strength. Most so-called villains didn't have either.

He also had Renjun, though they genuinely hated each other's guts at first. One day a bunch of men in black shoved a skinny Chinese kid at him and told them to stick together. Which teen boys would listen to this, honestly? And so on, they didn't talk unless of business matters. But years passed by, and soon Renjun was the only person Mark could rant to. Or at least the only one who wanted to listen.

Back to Donghyuck, he's sitting in Mark's lap, on the armchair in Mark's house. Which, naturally, makes Mark very happy. That's all he's ever wanted. But he's sure if Haechan was to awaken all of sudden, he'd take the opportunity to strangle him to death.

Yet, he doesn't.

"Mark, pass me the remote." He whines. "This show sucks."

"How am I supposed to move, huh?" Mark chuckles and caresses Donghyuck's shoulder. "You don't have to watch it if you don't like it."

"What else is there to do?" 

"Hm, I don't know? We can... cuddle and take a nap. I slept like three hours today."

"That's a lot for you." Donghyuck purposely ignores what Mark said first. When the older boy sulks and begins to look painfully embarrassed, he laughs and stands up. "You don’t have to ask me if you want to cuddle, you know? You can even get a kiss."

The bedroom looks similar to the rest of the apartment. Jeno would probably know the name of this style, but Donghyuck just knows it reminds him of any apartment of a rich person. White, some black, occasional plant in the corner, some art piece, marble. He thinks it lacks personality.

Once they lay down, Mark looks even more embarrassed, and Donghyuck doubts if anything can save the poor boy at this point. Donghyuck doesn't have much experience in cuddling with guys, or maybe he does but doesn't remember it. He does what Jaemin once forced him into on a cold winter night though. He wraps his arms around Mark's neck, places his forehead on his chest, and slides his leg between Mark's. 

He'd lie if he said he's not comfortable, but he knows if he wants cuddles, Jaemin is two rooms away. Mark is not a necessity in his life. He's, in fact, an inconvenience. So Donghyuck swears to himself this is the first and last time.

He looks up after a while, expecting the boy to be asleep. What he doesn't know is that Mark is simply physically unable to fall asleep while hugging anybody. They stare at each other for a while before Mark caresses Donghyuck's cheek with his hand. Soon they're sharing a slow, sloppy kiss. They've kissed before and Donghyuck feels like an asshole for leading Mark on like that. But now maybe he just wants to do that. When he feels Mark slide his hands under his shirt to take it off, he lets him. As their kiss gets more heated, Mark sucks on his bottom lip, on his tongue, and leaves bruises from his jaw all the way to his collarbones. Donghyuck reciprocates, though not as eager. When he repeatedly bites the skin on Mark's neck he feels the boy's quick heartbeat under his lips. He knows his own heart is thumping in his chest just as fast. The crucial difference is, he sees _feelings_ in Mark's eyes whenever they part away for a while with heavy breaths. Even when they move further, when he allows Mark to see him naked in his bedsheets, and Mark watches him like he's the world's eighth wonder, the only thing he can think of is _this is wrong._

…

"Hyuck's acting super fucking weird."

"Don’t panic, I'm pretty sure he just got laid." Jaemin takes a sip of coffee and places it on the desk next to his textbooks. Risky.

"How do you know that?" Jeno whispers again, leaning on Jaemin so they can talk without interrupting the lecture.

"Who do you think he would talk to about his hookups? Because surely not to a premarital-eye-contact-scares-me kid nor a lonely gay. I guess he's just acting weird ‘cause Mark’s, you know, a dude."

"Damn.” Jeno curses under his breath. “Why Mark?"

Jaemin only raises one eyebrow and sends Jeno a questioning look but when the boy begins to elaborate he covers his mouth with his hand. "Later, Jen. Focus on the lecture now. Donghyuck won't dissolve into the void."

Contrary to Jaemin's words, Donghyuck indeed disappears after two hours. Jeno finds him in bed in their room later, and the only comment he makes about his obnoxiously purple neck is _'Wow, you fucked up.'_

Donghyuck agrees and soon ends up crying, while Jeno pats him on the back and feeds him different sweets he previously found in Donghyuck's desk. Donghyuck allows himself to be vulnerable for a moment, rambling to his best friend on how he hated how Mark was so gentle with him and looked so in love, and how he feels like a real villain, lying to him all the time. It takes one and a half of a chocolate bar, a beer, and hugs from Jaemin for Donghyuck's breath to even out and his cheeks to dry from tears.

He has that awful elevator nightmare again.

...

"I was wondering why my pillow smells like Jeno's perfume." Jaemin places his hands on his hips and glares at the two boys the moment he steps into his room. "I really hope you kept all make out sessions exclusively on your bed, Renjun."

"Yeah, don't get dramatic."

"Actually, I'm glad you two made up. It's been two months."

"Already?" Jeno mumbles, as if to himself, and sits up on Jaemin's bed, making space for the boy himself. "Life's been pretty hectic lately."

"We have lots of free time now. You know what this means," Renjun says, glancing up from his phone.

"What does this mean?" Jaemin asks, intrigued, and takes the spot next to his best friend.

"Some people might get stupid ideas."

He summoned it. Three days later, on a Saturday night, Jeno gets a text. A very simple one. 

_'i told him i know everything. he panicked lol.'_

…

"And now what?"

"I don't know."

"You told him that and you have no plan? No evil scheme?"

"I'm a low budget supervillain, okay?" Donghyuck rubs his temples. "It was an impulsive decision."

"But overall." Jeno sits up straight on the floor. "It's been months. You've been training like crazy. And you haven't even planned anything? The fuck were you gonna do, beat him up on the spot?"

"To be frank…"

"Hyuck, no." Jeno sighs and goes back to slouching, sorting his many designs and architecture projects into piles. Their room is pretty narrow, and Jeno likes to have space that a tiny, cluttered desk can’t provide him. Therefore, the sight of him sitting on the floor between the door and their beds is very, _very_ common. Donghyuck slipped on the papers twice.

“Ah, what do you recommend then?” The younger boy falls on his bed and covers his face with his hands.

“I’m not the mastermind here. But in all honesty, I’d try persuasion first, and then I’d beat him up. Maybe he’s got enough brain cells to listen.”

“How considerate... I guess I'll just tease him for a while, appear out of nowhere just to annoy him. Then we can fight. But it’s gotta be dramatic.”

**Part 4. The battle.**

Most often, Donghyuck keeps his word. This time he’s doing just as well. 

Mark finds himself sitting in a hall of the building owned by his stepfather. The hall is long, grey and blue, always dark and soulless. He spends lots of time in there, cleaning ladies are already used to the sight of him dozing off on an uncomfortable chair. But this day he doesn't feel sleepy, he has a long chain of scenes replaying in his head. 

The first time he had thought _'maybe Haechan isn't gone after all'_ was a long time before the boy revealed himself. He remembers Zhong Chenle explaining himself after someone broke into the building. He used Haechan's line, _'I never mind only my business.'_ The villain's response to an accusation that he's doing everything only to avenge his family.

Mark also remembers the first time Haechan's heard about the device. He was never a fan of it.

_"Great idea, to strip a person away from their identity. Useful for creating an obedient society."_

_"I didn't invent this, Haechan."_

_"Nor did I invent a gun, but if I shot you now, who would you blame?"_

That sentence stuck with him for a while and he hesitated before flashing Haechan during their last fight. Because it wasn't one big fight like in many cases. Haechan was lurking in shadows for months, stirring up rebellion. The only way to keep the peace was to erase everyone's memory about the villain and what he said. Though thinking about it now, Mark begins to question if Haechan was a villain or just a boy full of fervor, trying to bring justice to the people and his deceased family.

"We've got your results."

Mark snaps out of his thoughts and shifts his gaze. There before him stands his manager, in other words, babysitter. Perhaps a dictator.

"Can I see them?" He points at a bunch of papers in the man's hand.

"No need to, you're perfectly fine."

"I don't feel fine though… My headaches are worsening nowadays and I got two nosebleeds last week. Why can't I take a look?"

"I said you're fine. Just takes your pills." The manager’s voice starts getting harsh and Mark notices the frown on his face.

"They make me feel dizzy though."

"Mark Lee, I am not discussing anything with you. Today at 10 PM I'm picking you up from your house. Pack everything as usual. Don't forget to get the device from the young Huang."

"Is it an emergency? I really don't feel-"

"It always is. You have a small illegal organization to take care of in Incheon. Four people, likely with abnormal abilities. They’re a threat." The manager walks into an elevator and presses a button.

"Why can't the police do it?"

"Better prepare, Mark." The door close.

"Ah. Fuck." Mark plops back down on a chair. He hides his face in his palms and groans. "I'm their fucking toy."

…

"Mark hyung went on a trip to Incheon and didn't take me." Jisung sulks.

"Oh no, how could he do that to you, baby?" 

Renjun rolls his eyes at the sight of his roommate leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen. After he made both Jisung and Jaemin forget about the entire superhero situation, the two have gotten awfully close through regular video calls. 

"I know, right? He never takes me anywhere and doesn't even tell stories about his trips. I begin to think he doesn't like me and hangs out with me only because we're cousins." 

"No way, baby, why would anyone dislike you?" Jaemin pouts and if the Jisung wasn't on another side of the city, he'd probably pinch the boy's cheeks and kiss him on the forehead.

"Coo at him one more time, Jaemin, and I'll make sure you and Jeno switch rooms." Renjun sits at his desk, placing his iPad on a nearby shelf. Jaemin adjusts himself on the edge of the bed so he can have a good look at it.

"You don't want that for neither of us, Renjun. Jen and Hyuck both wake up at ungodly hours recently. And in this household, we're always running late."

"And whose fault is that?" The Chinese boy scoffs, opening up his textbooks.

"I thought it's a mutual agreement? I can't sleep because I'm caffeinated, you can't sleep because you're insomniac and stressed… So once we fall asleep we just sleep until we naturally wake up." 

"I'm afraid to go to college," Jisung confesses, staring at the two roommates through the screen.

"As you should." Renjun chuckles and glances up at the boy. "Jisung, we gotta end the call now, we have a test tomorrow. Study hard, sleep well, and eat a lot."

"Yeah, take care, baby!"

"Bye!"

The room gets quiet for a while. Jaemin lies flat on the bed and sighs. Renjun takes a glance at him and turns back around to his desk.

"Jaemin, don't be so sweet to Jisung. If you keep acting this way and making him flustered, he might get a crush on you. And none of us want him to have his heart broken," he says, not facing the boy. If he was, Jaemin would see his deeply concerned expression.

"Oh." Jaemin blinks a few times while staring at the ceiling. "I guess I was being inconsiderate."

"Yeah."

“Sorry. I’m just naturally like that sometimes. That’s what gets me girlfriends.”

“Hoe.”

“What?!”

“A hoe, that’s what you are.”

Soon, the room is filled with loud screeching and laughing. A few rooms away, Donghyuck covers his head with a pillow, while Jeno lets out a sigh.

"Jaemin's got a surprising voice range."

"It would be great if he wasn't using it at 10 PM though."

"Just end the call, Hyuck."

The said boy reached out to his phone and clicked the red button next to Jaemin's name. "That's a mediocre spying device but at least now we know where Mark is. We need details though. We've got two options to get them."

"I'm scared already."

"The first one, you bribe Renjun into telling you. The second one, we break into that place again or hack them."

"That's three options and I don't like any of them."

"Go crazy, Jeno?"

"My fucking gosh. Go stupid."

…

The two get info through Renjun, in the end. Not without Jeno blaming himself for nearly blackmailing the boy and saying he's the worst love interest anyone could ever have. Donghyuck objects, and gives himself as an example. He still wants to beat up Mark, after all, no matter how charming the latter is.

The information they get does not last in their memory long. Donghyuck neatly writes everything down in his daily journal, expecting the knowledge to disappear one day. And on a calm Friday afternoon, it does.

"Jeno…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember anything about Mark going to Incheon?"

"No? Weren't we tracking him?"

"And did you check his location recently?"

Jeno blinks a few times and reaches for his laptop. "No… Hold on, let me check. Holy shit. He's coming back towards Seoul." He says after a while.

"I told you! It's a good thing we put that tracking thing in his bag. His biological dad gave it to him and he takes it everywhere."

"We're using his sentiments for our advantage. Not nice."

"Whatever, do you want to know why he was there? You took half a night to get Renjun drunk enough to tell you that."

"No fucking way. He's doesn't drink."

"You see, Jeno. You have some impact on him. Anyways, once Mark's back I'll go meet him."

"Will you notify him first?"

Donghyuck laughs and spins around in his chair. "I'll make it a surprise."

…

"You shouldn't be here," Mark says once he calms himself down. Not every night you see someone sitting on your windowsill. Especially if you live on the second floor. 

"I just came to pay a small visit. No intent to fight."

Mark puts his phone down on his desk. He spins around in his chair so he faces the boy. But he doesn't dare to lock their eyes. "How long for? I mean, you knew who I am?" 

"Just a few months."

"A few months?" He asks and raises one eyebrow. That’s a long time. He feels uneasy at his next thought. "Was everything we had just a lie then?"

"Not necessarily. I would gladly sleep with you again." Haechan smirks and very bluntly checks Mark out. He says it only to infuriate him though. He’d be too afraid to let someone so close to himself more than once. 

"I hate you sometimes."

"Sometimes the feeling is mutual."

"What do you want? Because not cuddles, I presume."

"That wouldn't be too bad." Haechan jumps down on the floor and starts walking around in Mark's bedroom, keeping his hands behind his back. His mind is flooded with memories as he looks at the bed. Burning touch, loud panting, pain, and pleasure. _'You're so fucking beautiful.'_ He winces. "But no. I just came to set some rules. You see, I have decided to keep it civil. I don't fully know what I was doing those three years ago because the reports were written rather badly and Jeno won't tell me-"

"Excuse me, I wrote those reports. I have never written as much about anyone as I did about you." Mark scoffs and then he realizes something. "Hold on. Jeno knows?"

"Of course he does. Did your best friend Renjunnie not tell you he's whipped for Jeno and brought back his memories?" A shit-eating grin appears on Haechan's face when he notices Mark's expression change. "Oh, I guess I accidentally revealed his little secret. Oops. Anyways, as I was saying… I will not involve any other people in our fight. Both of us have one person to help… I guess?"

Mark's face looks like the sky before a storm. He feels his body heat up with anger as he clenches his fists. His eyes darken, he looks up at Haechan. The boy still has that annoying, fake smile on his face. Mark really, _really_ , wants to punch him right now.

"So…" The boy continues. "We'll do it at night. At the next full moon at 3 AM to make it more romantic. Simple fight, no weapons, every move is allowed."

"Where?" Mark says through gritted teeth.

"You go so far away to fight others... I hope it won't be a problem for you to fight in the city. Chenle's coming back this week. He can turn off CCTV."

"I don't care where. I just want to…" He stops.

"Oh? What do you want?" Haechan sits back on the windowsill. "What will you do if you win, Mark? Do exactly the thing I hate you for again?"

"Go away."

"Ah, it's a shame that-"

"Just fucking go away from me."

"Come and make me then."

Mark stands up, nearly knocking over the chair. He walks up to the windowsill, cold night air hitting him in the face. Haechan smirks again and raises his hand to touch Mark's cheek. Mark doesn't let him. 

"I told you to go away. What don't you understand about those two words? _Go away?_ "

Haechan sighs and shakes his head. He throws his legs over the windowsill. "I won't get a goodbye kiss?"

In response, Mark pushes his back, enough to make him startled but not too strong so he doesn't fall out. 

"Ah, I get it. Goodbye, Mark." He smiles, but the smile looks a bit sad. "Get some sleep." After these words, Haechan jumps out of the window. Mark uses his all willpower not to look down to see if he's okay. He guesses he is, frankly, Haechan _always_ is. It took Mark some time to figure out how he manages to get away every time with no injuries. To realize he was gifted with an ability humans don’t normally possess. 

...

_Mark looks tired. He knows he does. He also knows his strength is much more limited when he’s sleep-deprived. And Haechan knows this too._

_"Aw, are you having trouble sleeping? Thinking about me?"_

_"Yeah and I don't know how can you sleep so peacefully at night knowing what you did. Eight casualties, Haechan. You just killed eight people."_

_Haechan scoffs and crosses his arms on his chest. He locks eyes with Mark, and Mark sees it. The rage._

_“Quit this bullshit. You know I had to.”_

_“You didn’t. And you didn’t have to enjoy it.”_

_“Oh, please. The only thing stopping me from blowing up all governmental buildings is the innocent staff.”_

_“I’m surprised you at least care about them.”_

_“Of course I do. I care about people. Look at yourself, you chase those like me, who are not an actual threat. You’re brainwashed to think you’re helping the citizens. You only help the government. What about murderers, rapists, robbers? They’re walking free unless they fall into my hands. They even get jobs at the police, the government… My family was killed by those entitled bastards. Apparently by accident.” Haechan scoffs. A single tear rolls down his face covered by a small white mask._

It’s not like Mark got zero opportunities to wipe Haechan’s memories. He had plenty, but a second of hesitation was enough for Haechan to escape. Until one time it wasn’t.

And it was only because Mark didn’t play fair. He knew the boy would never leave Jeno behind. To defeat Haechan he had to use a trick, his sentiments, and Renjun. Maybe he was right, what kind of a hero Mark was?

Ah, fuck. _Renjun._

…

Naturally, the campus is not fully open at night. You can't just get in and out how much you want at 2 AM. But, in all honesty, that's what bothers Donghyuck the least. The only struggle is not to wake up the janitor's dog.

His room is dark, Jeno's snuggled up to the wall. There's a lot of space left on his bed so Donghyuck takes the opportunity. He lies down next to his best friend and like a fool hopes he won't wake up. Jeno, however, gets woken up by literally any tiny disturbance, so the extra weight on his mattress doesn't go unnoticed.

"You're back." He states as he turns his head around. He lifts up the duvet so Donghyuck can cover himself too. 

"Yeah. Can I get a hug? It's super cold outside and my ankle hurts. Also I'm sad."

Jeno turns around his whole body now to face Donghyuck. He puts his arm on the boy's back and pulls him closer. "Sometimes people pretend you’re a bad person so they don’t feel guilty for the things they did to you," Jeno says, rubbing Donghyuck's shoulder.

"You read that on the internet, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

They both laugh shortly before Donghyuck puts his head on Jeno's chest and sighs. "You are the best friend a one can have."

"Perhaps I'm just morally empty and I do whatever you say even if it's stupid."

"I'm grateful for that anyway. Not everybody wants to friends with a monster."

“The fuck are you saying?” Jeno mumbles. “You’re not a monster. At least not anymore. Now you’re just an idiot.”

“So you admit I was a monster at some point.”

"You wanted to do good at first… but you got carried away. When you killed people for the first time… I had so fucking many doubts. You saw it, of course, you did, and you were mad at me because I promised to be by your side no matter what."

Donghyuck feels sick in his stomach. 

"Was I pressuring you?"

"No. You stopped talking to me. But…” Jeno stops. Donghyuck can tell he doesn’t want to tell him everything. “Some things happened, and you saved me from danger. You made a sacrifice for me. So I like to think you never stopped being my best friend."

"I think you're sick in the head for wanting to hang out with me," he says after a short moment of silence.

"Oh, that's likely. At this point we all are.” Jeno scoffs as he’s shuffling around. “Let's sleep now. Guess who's got an art history test tomorrow. From all baroque paintings. I just had a nightmare with fucking Caravaggio."

"Oh goodness."

"Yeah."

Donghyuck likes to sleep next to Jeno. They don’t do it often, like the grown manly men they are, but Donghyuck believes manly men also need cuddles from time to time. And Jeno smells nice, like his lemon shampoo and his favorite perfume. On some days he also smells like ink and old books. That gives some sort of comfort, just like the boy himself.

Donghyuck thinks Jeno smells better than Mark. Mark smells like heavy cologne. Depending on the day also like blood or air freshener. Overall, you can't tell what he likes based on his smell. You can't tell what he likes from his behavior too. Even his room, a place that tells the most about a person, doesn't give much information. Donghyuck's not sure if the boy has any interests at all. 

_"I feel like I no longer have any personality trait other than that I'm tired_ ," Mark told him on one date.

_"Being tired is not a personality trait."_

Sure, Lee Donghyuck is not really a man of passion, unlike his close friends. Jeno's into tattoos and architecture, Jaemin's into photography and coffee, Chenle's into singing and programming. Donghyuck doesn't have a certain hobby. He likes to watch sports, listen to old music, take morning walks, and moon gaze. But he feels like Mark doesn't do even that; like he gives his entire life to studying and fighting bad guys. And there, in the middle of the night, he begins to think the villains are not the only victims of the government's sick idea.

…

"Don't you ever question who's in the wrong here?" Jeno asks one lazy afternoon as he traces invisible circles on Renjun’s shoulder with his hand.

"I do. Don't we all?" Renjun shrugs. "But I can't back out. It's my job, I'd get imprisoned if I stopped listening to the government." He sighs and sits up on the bed, looking back down at the boy. "I have never thought my creation would be used this way. After reflecting on it, it indeed kinda sucks to have all your memories away. Even if you were a bad guy."

"So… why don't you do something about it?" Jeno sits up too and puts his head on Renjun's shoulder, staring at him in anticipation. "You could make all the fucking snobs in the government forget all of this ever happened." He nudges him with his chin.

"I… I can't do that. You know this. And Jeno, we agreed not to talk about it. Are you here because you want to be with me or to help Hyuck?"

Jeno blinks a few times and leans back. "You don't know the answer?"

"You've been at his every word recently."

"He's my best friend? Don't you do anything to help Mark too? Are you… are you questioning my feelings for you?"

Renjun breaks the eye contact and glances at the clock hanging over the door. "You should go now. Jaemin's coming back from his classes in a few minutes."

So Jeno leaves, sulky and a bit disappointed. Every time he does, he gets more and more questions. The next night Jaemin and Chenle come for a little sleepover again. They illegally bring alcohol into their room again and the neighbors on the left knock on the wall to remind them to be quiet. It works, because both Jeno and Chenle are sad drunks, so after a while, they both end up dozing off on Jeno’s bed. 

“Can you believe I really have to get married soon?” Chenle sighs and allows Jaemin to climb half on top of him in a crushing hug. 

“Marriage can be fun!”

“We’re all going to be your best men,” Donghyuck adds, watching the three cuddled up boys with a small smile. 

“Love doesn’t exist.” Jeno’s voice hardly above a whisper.

“What?!” Jaemin adjusts himself so that he’s on top of the older boy now. “What are you saying, Jeno? You yourself are in love! ”

“He doesn’t love me back.”

“Aw, dude.” Chenle pats Jeno on the shoulder. “You deserve better.”

“Renjun clearly does love you back, Jeno.” Jaemin lets out a big sigh. “He always takes his cold bitch mask off and opens up to me after not getting any sleep for two days or so.”

“Even if he does… we can’t be together…”

“He’s gonna cry.” Donghyuck points out when he joins the boys on the bed, sitting at its edge.

“No, Jeno, don’t cry.” Jaemin coos and cups Jeno’s cheeks in his hands. He tends to be clingy on a daily basis but when he’s drunk he’s nearly unbearable. “Aren’t you two dating already at this point? You two are so cute, why wouldn’t you be together?”

“Because Mark and Donghyuck are fighting.” Jeno chokes out as tears fill his eyes. 

“You are?” Jaemin asks and sits up, making more room for Donghyuck to sit.

“Yeah…”

“But what does it have to do with you, baby?” Jaemin goes back to soothing Jeno, ruffling his hair. 

“Because they-”

“Jeno, I’m not letting you drink again.” Donghyuck makes very meaningful eye contact with the boy. Jeno, however, is way too intoxicated to catch the subtle message. “It doesn’t have anything to do with him.” He lies. He knows the difference in morals is too big for Renjun and Jeno to date. They’re on two different sides, technically they’re enemies – even if they’re lovers at the same time. Just like Donghyuck and Mark, there’s no way for the two of them to _be_ , at least not now. Donghyuck got used to this thought a long time ago. Which doesn’t necessarily mean he likes it. 

“Ah, by the way, Chenle… Hold on, he fell asleep.” Jaemin is just about to slap the boy’s shoulder. “Do we go to sleep too?” He yawned.

“Yes.” Jeno sniffles and tightly wraps his arms around Jaemin’s waist so he doesn’t leave him.

“Are you three going to sleep here together? I mean, fine with me but there’s kinda little space.” Donghyuck lifts one of his eyebrows as he stands back up.

“Just take Chenle to your bed. It’s not like you can’t lift him up. I know you go to the gym every morning.” Jaemin shrugs.

“I’m stronger than Jeno now.”

“Don’t be so full of yourself.” Jaemin laughs. “You? Stronger than him?”

“Take it back or I won’t let Chenle or any of you sleep in my bed.”

“He is,” Jeno mumbles quietly. 

“Thank you very much, Jeno.”

And so on, they all end up in beds, the same pairs as always. Chenle really is a blessing, Donghyuck can peacefully fall asleep soon. Jeno lets out sad sniffles for the next twenty minutes in Jaemin’s arms. The boy keeps whispering sweet, comforting words to his ear.

“You’ll be fine, Jen.” He kisses Jeno’s nape. “Everything will be alright, sooner or later.”

Jeno nods. Even though deep down, he really doubts if it’s true.

…

Clearly, nothing is alright the next morning. Donghyuck is out early as usual. His ankle hurts like a bitch after his glorious jump from Mark’s window. The next full moon is in three days, exactly. If he doesn’t feel better by then, it’s gonna be pretty fucking shitty.

Donghyuck’s nervous, of course, he is. So is the other trio of the boys involved. Donghyuck shows it by skipping class to practice, Mark by not leaving Jisung’s room, and Jeno by fidgeting all the time and failing his test. And Renjun? Renjun definitely shows it most distinctly by breaking up with Jeno.

He does it in probably the second most asshole-like way after breaking up over text. He breaks up with Jeno in class.

Jeno takes a seat next to the Chinese boy as always. He still doesn't feel well and his hangover really distracts him quite a lot but luckily Jaemin is an angel and bought him a cupcake. So, a happy Jeno greets his…? Nonoffcial boyfriend with an eye smile and grabs his hand. It fades away the second Renjun looks up at him.

"Hi! How are you-"

"Hey, Jeno. You know what's about to happen. I just…" He takes a deep breath. "I think you should know I will always be on Mark's side. Don't blame me if you get hurt. Oh and… The two of us… Let's not do this anymore. Actually, please don't talk to me at all. I don't know how long for." 

Jeno's mouth forms an O as he blinks a couple of times. Then he nods his head. Renjun gives his hand a little squeeze and runs his thumb over Jeno's knuckles. Maybe for the last time.

Jeno wants to say something. The last declaration of love, a 'but- but Renjun!', an 'okay' or a 'fuck you'. He ends up remaining quiet as he stands up from his seat. He throws his bag over his shoulder and nods once again like in a trance. He trips on a chair and heads to the exit. The professor walks in at the very moment, Jeno stops in his tracks and stiffens. His mind is too foggy to think of a solution. He feels a pull on his sleeve. 

"Don't be an idiot, you’re failing this class." Renjun tries to make him sit back in his usual spot. Jeno shakes his head. His savior turns out to be Yangyang, making the boy sit beside him. Yangyang doesn't say anything but it's obvious he's heard everything. He always notices more than others do.

The class passes by quickly. Jeno's not sure what class is this anyway. As soon as it ends, he prepares to leave. Yangyang slides a few papers to him on the desk.

"Here. I know you didn't note shit."

Jeno's surprised by the sudden kindness but feels very grateful anyway. When he's on his way to the door he fights the urge to look back at Renjun. Wins the fear that once he does, the boy won't spare him a single glance. 

Renjun, however, has been looking at him the entire time.

At night Renjun studies in his room. It's not like he'll be able to fall asleep anyway. The door open at some point, revealing none other than Jaemin. Renjun watches over his physics textbook as his roommate throws a few of his belongings on the bed. 

"What are you doing?"

"Hyuck is out tonight. I'm going to go keep Jeno company."

"What about me?"

"Maybe if you weren't an asshole he could come over here instead."

"Are you mad?" He feels a strong emotion radiating from Jaemin. The one he doesn't see often even living with him nearly 24/7 – anger.

"Of course I am. You broke my best friend’s heart."

"I didn't mean–"

"And what for? Jeno is kind, calm, loyal, hardworking, he... he's perfect! And yet you broke his heart, even though he trusted you–"

"Jaemin, don't forget about breathing."

"Oh, shut up. It's not about me. We're good friends, Renjun, and that's why I'm telling you this – you're a piece of shit sometimes."

The conversation doesn't carry on much further. Soon, Renjun stays alone with his thoughts, regrets, and physics homework. A terrible combo. 

Two rooms away the atmosphere doesn't feel much lighter: Jaemin's angry, Jeno's sad, and there's no more ice cream. Donghyuck doesn't read any messages, Jeno understands it though. And kind of hates how all aspects of his life depend on his best friend. Not a very reliable one.

"You look upset."

"I am, Jeno. I wish I didn't have to come back to my room tomorrow."

Jaemin sighs and falls on the bed, right next to Jeno. Unlike usually in his sober state, Jeno allows the boy to wrap his arms around him. He even hugs back. Donghyuck would let out an ugly mocking cackle if he saw this.

"I shouldn't have been comforting you by saying he loves you. I really thought he did though… What an asshole. You're amazing no matter if a guy likes you or not, remember that. Don't ever measure your worth with the validation you get from other people."

"Is that what you'll tell your current girlfriend when you break up with her?" Jeno raises an eyebrow with a small, ironic smile.

"Oh, I already broke up with her like… three weeks ago? I didn't tell you? But yeah, I always try to make my exes feel less like crap if I'm ending a relationship."

"Why does none of your relationships last more than three months?"

"I…” Jaemin gets lost in thought for a few seconds. “Nobody is the person I really want, I guess."

"Oh. I see." 

They talk for a long while. About everything, from what kind of coffee they should get tomorrow, to Chenle’s upcoming wedding, and how crazy of an idea is that. They lay close, facing each other, partially because the bed is rather narrow, partially because it's a habit, and also for the sake of comfort. When Jeno's eyes finally close and his breath evens out Jaemin sighs. 

"Maybe I should have just agreed to date you when you asked in freshman year." His voice is so quiet he barely hears it himself.

After long minutes Jaemin's mind becomes blurry and he begins to see images, hearing dialogues, like a preview of a dream. He's pretty sure what he hears next isn't a dream though.

"Maybe you should have."

...

Donghyuck comes back as soon as he reads Jeno’s messages. So, at 4 AM. He was at Johnny’s place, making use of the boxing ring in his garage. He decides not to wake the two boys up, instead leaves them sweets he bought previously on his desk and prepares himself for classes. An hour later he also decides to give his organism a favor and takes a nap. He guesses Jeno must be exhausted since he doesn’t wake up at all the noises. He feels bad for him. Although he’d lie if he said he didn’t see that coming.

If love was easy, if love was for everyone, he wouldn’t have spent the entire night working out, thinking up a plan, and stressing over Mark. The fight is coming. And yeah, Donghyuck’s ankle still hurts. He’s never jumping out of windows again.

Sometime later, after an unhealthy breakfast and lots of chaos, the trio makes it to class. They all share the first one which is a good thing because Jeno gets the time to prepare for art history that is next and just so happens to be the only class where it’s just him and Renjun. 

“Don’t look at him, don’t give him attention, just study so you don’t fail a test from rococo too.” Jaemin counts on his fingers among other rules. Donghyuck wants to sneer, looking at the boy acting like an expert as if Donghyuck didn’t have to buy him coffee, cookies, and hold his hand for comfort after his recent breakup.

“Okay. I’ll be fine.” Jeno nods, a hint of hesitation visible on his face despite his words. He’s had a huge crush on Renjun for months now after all.

“Great, that’s the mindest I like.” Jaemin leans closer and Donghyuck thinks maybe he wants to whisper something to Jeno. But instead, he watches in surprise as the boy places a kiss on Jeno’s jaw. A one that doesn’t look like his usual playful teasing. Donghyuck doesn’t really know how to react, so he settles for a dramatic grimace and hits the younger boy’s arm.

“What are you, a leech? Let Jen live, we’re all gonna be late to classes.”

They part ways, Donghyuck and Jaemin head to their lecture. Jaemin looks like he’s about to start happily skipping through the emptying halls, which catches Donghyuck’s attention.

“Are you good?”

“What?”

“Bro, I’m asking if you’re good.”

“I’m feeling brilliant. You don’t look like you’re good though.” Jaemin points at the other boy. “Your hands are shaking.”

“We’ve both had two coffees each. You know caffeine isn’t my thing.”

“If you can’t drink coffee then you have to sleep sometimes, Hyuck.”

“Everybody should sleep sometimes, you know that, right?”

“The day’s too short.”

The two reach the class and sit near the window, the professor is not in sight yet. Jaemin keeps grinning from ear to ear, greeting all of their friends on the way.

“Are you high?” Donghyuck asks finally, gaining a burst of laughter in response.

“No!” Jaemin cackles and hits the boy’s shoulder. “Do I look like I am?”

“You act like it.”

“Honestly…” They hear a familiar voice from the back. “He just acts like he's in love.” They turn around to see Yangyang with a small smirk.

“Yangyang!" Jaemin laughs. "I heard you helped Jeno out yesterday. He probably forgot to thank you, but he’s very grateful.” A smile doesn't leave his face even for a second.

“I thought you’d be more upset today. I heard you fight with Renjun.”

“Ah, well, yeah but he’s not important enough to ruin my entire day, you know?”

Yangyang and Jaemin continue talking up until the professor comes. Donghyuck doesn’t engage in the conversation. His mind is occupied with something else.

…

He doesn’t ponder over this entire situation too long. He doesn’t really get to, as the day of the fight comes way quicker than he wanted it too.

Initially, he wanted to meet up with Johnny to train again. It's Jeno who tells him _"Are you fucking stupid?"_ and makes him rest _._ The word _rest_ is, however, highly exaggerated. All he's doing after classes until late night hours is sitting at his desk and hardly ever moving. And how often he does something like that? Never. Jaemin, who spends the entire afternoon on Jeno's bed, doesn't seem to notice, too invested in trying to make Jeno smile. Jeno himself, however, can see what's wrong very well. He's stressed too, after all. 

Jaemin falls asleep sometime after midnight. The other two boys start preparations. Donghyuck dresses accordingly to Jeno's advice: tight, black, clothes, no hood, strings, anything that can be easily caught and pulled. That made him realize how stupid many superheroes are, wearing capes and shit. Idiots.

When they're walking to the set destination, a wide street between glass skyscrapers, Donghyuck doesn't think much. Jeno tells Chenle on the phone where they are so he can turn off CCTV and manage traffic to avoid unnecessary encounters.

"Damn, rainy clouds are coming. It was supposed to be aesthetic. Now it's gonna be dark and wet. Awesome."

"The day of your last fight it was raining too. But it was during the day." Jeno recalls. "I was fucking terrified ‘cause- Ah. Nevermind."

*

_The vivid sight of Donghyuck being crushed onto the wall with a hand on his throat appears in Jeno's mind. He himself is seated against an opposite wall, tightly tied up. He's unable to do anything, he's cursed to watch as his best friend slowly resists Mark after a long and ugly fight, slides down to his knees. He lets out a groan and wiggles in an attempt to move._

_"Stay still. It would be a shame if I had to punch that handsome face of yours." He hears one of the very first things Renjun says to him. Not the nicest first impression._

_Haechan’s breath is heavy, he hangs his head low. He’s covered in blood, both Mark’s and his own. He shares a meaningful look with Jeno, who’s vision gets blurry from tears. They both know this is the end. Only after a while, Haechan raises his gaze to meet Mark’s eyes. Mark is terrified. Of the look on Haechan’s face, of what he’s about to do, of the consequences. And yet, he does it anyway. He presses the device to Haechan’s forehead. The villain doesn’t move anymore. He stares at the floor in defeat. Mark guesses he’s tired. These three months were exhausting for both of them. So he does what he thinks is best, what’s the solution to their problems and a chance for a new beginning. He presses the button. Seconds later, he catches Haechan’s unconscious body into his arms and pulls him closer. He finally got Donghyuck back._

_A single tear rolls down Jeno’s cheeks. Soon after, he passes out. When he wakes up, he has a best friend, a brother, no longer._

“Why, are you afraid to discourage me by telling me how I lost to Mark?” Donghyuck chuckles.

“I know you won’t lose this time.”

“Aw. Thanks, bro.”

The two reach the street. Jeno comes up on a roof of a nearby abandoned building so he’s not directly in danger. Then, they wait.

…

For Mark, the past few days have been an absolute nightmare. He fought with Renjun and made him stop seeing Jeno. He knows that’s an asshole move but it’s for the best. Later, he comes over to his aunt’s house to spend time with Jisung. He does it mostly to distract himself from the inevitable. It makes him feel a bit sad anyway because it used to be his little cousin who supported him through his entire journey as a _superhero_. And now he can’t say a word about it, because Renjun wiped out his memory. Mark loves Renjun, he really does, but he hates how the boy is so stubborn and does whatever he wants. He's avoiding Jeno solely because he knows he fucked up.

"Will you tell me what's going on?" Jisung asks, not looking up from his switch. 

"What do you mean?" 

They are in Jisung's room, the sun has already set. The boy's in his bed, fully invested in playing games. Mark doesn't really understand the point of it. He'd hardly have any time to play anyway. That he isn't called in by his manager the entire week truly is a miracle.

"I video called Renjun yesterday. I know you two argued recently. Also, Jaemin wasn't there even though it was in the middle of the night. And most importantly– This little bitch, I'll hit you with my net on the head if you make Isabelle sad again– Uh, what was I saying? Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure Renjun was crying."

Mark jerks up his head. He squints his eyes. "Renjun never cries."

"Oh, you fool. Of course, he does. Everyone cries sometimes. That's one of the things that make us human."

Mark looks away from the boy. When was the last time _he_ cried?

"What do you think is the reason?" He asks in a quiet voice.

"Probably because of your fight – yeah, I am trying to make you feel bad – also I don’t know, I think Jeno might have found someone else. I swear, I told this useless gay so many times 'Come on, ask him for an official relationship, you've been making out for half a year.' But no, Renjun's stubborn ass decided to wait for the day Jeno realizes he deserves someone who will show their love for him in ways other than just sucking his dick."

"Hold up." Mark tries not to laugh at his little cousin's choice of words. When did he stop being a baby? Mark guesses he's been too busy to notice. "Oh my gosh. You… You've got a big brain. And a slightly inappropriate language."

"You might have missed out on this, but I've turned twenty this year. I'm starting college."

"Yeah…” Mark sighs. “I know..."

"I'm glad you appreciate my big brain. If only you'd also realize I can connect the dots."

"I really hope you didn't connect shit," Mark whispers to himself, but Jisung's hearing is pretty damn good.

"Oh, I did. Your backpack helped me a little."

The two lock eyes. Mark freezes. Jisung raises one eyebrow at him and grins. Perhaps superpowers run in the family and his cousin is a genius. Or the device didn't do as much of a good job as it should.

…

"Oh? Renjun didn't come?" Is the first thing Haechan says to Mark when they meet on the empty street. "Did Jeno just unknowingly become a homewrecker?"

"It's none of your business."

"It sort of is. The two of us, Mark… The two of us are inseparable. When people one day share our story... they won't be able to separate us. Our friends and we have formed a little entangled circle and we all have to be included for the story to be complete."

"Cut this bullshit, Haechan." The villain winces at the name. "We didn't come here so you could get all poetic. You've had enough time for that before."

"That was an interesting half a year, Mark… Truly unforgettable. I'd never think back then that we'd once meet up in the middle of the night just to fight. I sure hoped we would do that for other reasons, not gonna lie."

"Just shut the fuck up.” The hero rolls his eyes. Haechan notices the easiest way to get him mad is to tease him about the relationship they’ve had. “Are you going to fight or not?"

Haechan smirks and stares Mark in the eyes for a short while. Then, he lunges forward.

*

There was something spectacular about the fight. Jeno and Jisung, both watching from afar, couldn't look away. It was more graceful than boxing. More powerful than martial arts. Lots of pain and quickened breaths. Extreme strength and extreme stamina meet in a long battle. Haechan doesn't get tired. Uppercut, two hooks, he dodges. Mark holds power in each of his punches. A jab at the diaphragm. Haechan can't breathe. Right cross in the face. Mark's eyes water. Countless hits, kicks, punches, Mark's breath is so uneven. Haechan slams himself onto his chest. He smirks, his face a couple of inches away from Mark's. 

"Tired yet?"

"Only of you."

Sudden lightning bolt rips the dark clouds, the skies roar once, and then again. The first drops of rain fall, soaking the two. Lightning. A hook, blood flows from Mark's nose. Another lighting. It feels like forever. Mark is tired, his punches begin to lack strength. Haechan's wet hair keeps falling into his eyes. He wants this to end. An uppercut at the jaw. Mark stumbles backward. Kidney kicks. He falls to his knees. Haechan trips. He stands up from his knees in a flash. The sky roars as he glares at Mark from above. The superhero remains on the wet concrete. The two lock eyes.

* 

"I…” Mark breathes out. “Admit defeat." The scene feels familiar.

Haechan smirks and whips the device out from his pocket. Mark doesn't know how he got his hands on it. He can't think anymore. Haechan presses it to Mark's forehead. "You deserve the very same thing."

The superhero's glossy eyes reflect a flash of lightning. He grits his teeth. The sky roars again. Haechan's hand is shaking. Mark closes his eyes and waits, seconds feel like hours. Soon, he doesn't feel anything. His body heavily lands on the ground.

…

"Why did you do that?!" 

They're in Mark's house again. Jeno, Jisung's in the kitchen, Renjun who Jisung called for, and the two injured. They're in the bedroom. Donghyuck truly hates this place.

Renjun hugs Mark's unconscious body to his chest, his wet hair soaking his shirt and bedsheets. Jeno stares at Donghyuck for a while and offers him a blanket. He takes it, even though he knows it belongs to Mark. This doesn't matter anymore.

"I decided I want to be better than him."

"You're so damn annoying." Renjun glares at him and wraps Mark in a towel, only to start taking his wet shirt off later.

"You should be grateful." Donghyuck scoffs in response and crosses his arms.

"Well, you ruined the work of his life," Jeno adds and his gaze lands on the device on the desk. Broken into two.

"May I remind you I could have erased Mark's memories yet I chose not to." Donghyuck rolls his eyes. "I, a very scary supervillain, have done something good for the sake of my natural enemy, a superhero."

"What do you want now, a gold star? You weren't an asshole for once, and I'm grateful but it doesn't mean anything." Renjun replies, still focused solely on Mark. He flips him around, exposing his back.

"Alright then, I'll go back to my usual, asshole-like state once Mark wakes up." He glances at the boy. He sees a long scar, from his left shoulder blade to his bottom right rib. "Aw, man. Who did this to him?"

"You did. But of course, you don't even remember that."

"As if that's my fault." He rolls his eyes. How did he not notice it before? He remembers touching Mark's back, probably leaving scratches on it. He guesses he was too caught up in kissing him to care. 

"Whatever, now go."

Donghyuck huffs and throws the blanket off on a nearby chair. He takes a last glance at the two boys curled up on the bed. His face remains emotionless as he makes his way to the door. Jeno obediently follows him. Right before he walks out of the room, he shares a look with Renjun. A one only the two of them know the meaning of.

…

Donghyuck doesn't know what villains do after winning a battle. He, however, decides to take a nap. Not like he gets much valuable sleep anyway, as his nightmare reoccurs. Except for this time, in the elevator there's Mark.

Jaemin wakes him up minutes before the morning lecture, barging in with food, medicine, lots of 'I love you, get better soon!' and cheek kisses for Jeno. Donghyuck doesn't question it, he gladly accepts the food and allows himself to stay in bed for the day.

They don't hear from Mark's side for the next few days and Renjun is absent in class. Donghyuck recovers quickly, he invites his friends for an illegal sleepover again. He tells them everything. They react better than he expected them to. And then, Jaemin says one important thing, something Donghyuck didn't have the time to consider yet.

_"The fight isn't over."_

To Donghyuck's surprise, they aren't disgusted by him, aren't afraid. Chenle first asks questions like 'So you could run a marathon right at this very moment and wouldn't get tired at all?' and sums it all up with 'We have the coolest best friend ever, now let's team up and overthrow capitalism.' Donghyuck is truly grateful for such friends. And so on, they come up with a plan.

**Part 5. The beginning.**

"What the fuck, Mark Lee?" One time Jeno's voice fills the previously quiet and peaceful room at 10 PM.

"Where is he?"

"You're stepping on my papers." He points at the designs surrounding him on the floor.

"Sorry." Mark takes his feet off the drawings. "Where's Haechan?"

"I don't know." Jeno shrugs and breaks eye contact, going back to work. "He could be anywhere. I'm his best friend, not his mother."

"Ah, fuck." Mark runs his hand through his hair in a distressed manner. "You really have no clue?"

"I could make assumptions but why would I tell you even if I knew?"

"Because I know you're persuade-able? We were classmates in high school?"

"We were classmates? Bro, did that stop you from holding me hostage that one time?" Jeno's slouched figure shakes with laughter. "Also you're an asshole. Do you think I didn't notice that you used Donghyuck's memory loss to get close to him? You knew you would never be together if he remembered what you've done. And what he's done too." Jeno shakes his head. "I can't believe you were able to lie like that to someone you've got feelings for."

"I stayed away for three years!"

"You kept Renjun here to fucking lurk and report to you! I know he became roommates with Jaemin and got closer to me only to get a better look at Donghyuck."

"Renjun's not the type to lead someone on to such extent. You think who made you visit Haechan in the hospital even though you had no idea who he is? I knew it would be more beneficial for us if you two never became friends again but Renjun insisted. Also… I was the one who told him to stay away from you."

"You fucking moron…” Jeno lets out a deep sigh. “I will not tolerate your presence any longer. Get out.”

So Mark leaves. He wanders around the campus for a while, checks up on Renjun. It has been a week since their fight. His manager got furious when he saw his bruises. Then he said something Mark expected, even assumed since his results after check-ups were always confidential: if Mark doesn't rest, he won't live on for a long time. That the stick is broken and it would take half a year to produce a new one obviously stays a secret between the seven boys. 

What happens once a new threat arises? What means losing to Haechan. He doesn't know. He lives day by day, wondering what the boy is up to now. And soon, he learns it the hard way.

"How does it feel? To know you're dying?"

"Are you threatening me right now?" Mark turns around in his chair to face Haechan sitting on his windowsill. A familiar sight.

"Ah no, I just saw your results." Haechan shrugs. "Chenle is very helpful sometimes."

"I see."

"That's it? You're not especially talkative today."

"I don't feel well. I– I don't know what to do. What now? What are you plotting?"

"Do you trust me?"

"No."

"Then come here."

Mark can't believe himself when he actually stands up and walks up to the window. Haechan grins and pulls him closer. Mark stiffens. "Haechan… What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done earlier."

Then, he closes the gap between their lips. At first, Mark gasps. After a few seconds he relaxes into the kiss. For a moment he forgets about Haechan – there's Donghyuck right in front of him, in his arms. He deepens the kiss and he feels the boy smile. Soon, he feels something else too.

"Haechan…" Mark's voice is faint as he speaks against the villain's lips. "What… What did you do to me?"

Haechan chuckles and gives the boy one last short peck. "It was a bit risky, you know? I didn't know if I'd manage to hold poison in my mouth for so long without getting infected myself." He chuckles again when Mark goes limp in his arms and helps the boy sit against a wall. "And most importantly, I didn't know if you'd be up for a make-out session with me."

"You still assumed I would."

"You literally just did that, what are you mad for? It's not like you haven't used me before too." Haechan shrugs again and walks up to the door. "Anyways, I really have to go now. I won't tell you my plan like all dumb villains do, but just know I don't mean to kill anybody. So if someone dies today it's not my fault."

"You idiot," Mark says through gritted teeth and tries to move.

"Your struggling is useless. The paralyzing effect will wear off in a couple of hours. I'm actually doing you a favor."

"Favor, my ass. Haechan, get back here!" But the villain leaves the room. He doesn't look back.

…

Holding an entire building hostage undeniably is a powerful feeling.

But that's not what Donghyuck focuses on – yeah, no Haechan anymore. Jaemin used his big brain and suggested creating a brand new identity so that nobody links anything to Donghyuck and possibly ruin his upcoming senior year. So there he is, masked, standing over Mark's manager in a room fully locked by none other than Chenle himself. 

"Do you understand?" The man doesn't reply. "I asked, do you understand?!"

"Yes, yes, I do, sir."

"And you do realize if you don't keep the promise I will come back? And that then I won't settle for only a gun?"

"This is threatening!"

"Yeah, and this is a terrorist attack, whatever. Kindly keep in mind I can and will ruin the lives of every individual involved in this matter."

Mark's manager is boring. Donghyuck doesn't talk with him much longer. When he unlocks the door, he's really glad the mask covers the fear visible on his face. There stand a few men, much taller and muscular thank him, each armed. He's only thankful Chenle locked everything so no more cops or other bastards can get in. 

He doesn't get to think of a proper greeting, he feels a sudden hit into his stomach, followed by a burning pain, mere seconds later. But Lee Donghyuck is no weak bitch, also he's very much unbreakable. So he shoots back.

…

"Holy shit, bro! That was badass, they looked at you with their jaws dropped when you just walked out of there!"

"Chenle, I'm bleeding out." Donghyuck groans once he's in the boy's car. With approximately four bullet wounds. "That I can endure pain doesn't mean I don't feel it."

"I know, I know, but this is exciting. I love it whenever we do something illegal."

"I noticed." He rolls his eyes. "Now please speed up, for fuck's sake, or this will be the last time we do something together at all."

"How did you know you can endure bullets?"

"I didn't. Chenle, I beg!"

Once he's finally getting medical treatment – from Chenle's fianceé, a sweet and trustworthy med student – he truly doesn't know how to feel. Mark's in his own house, still paralyzed. Jeno and Jaemin are most likely losing their minds from worrying back in the college dorms. As for Mark's friends, he has no clue. But one day Renjun will surely show up to scream at him. Everything seems to have gone smoothly, maybe excluding the injuries on both sides, but overall Donghyuck got what he wanted. The governmental superhero project is canceled, or in other words, Mark and Renjun are fired. Sure, he also would be glad to see the corruption and exploitation of the working class to stop, but let's take small steps. From the miserable end of Haechan, he knows it's not an easy task. 

And so on, everything falls weirdly back in place. The next two weeks are so tragically uneventful, the only thing reminding Donghyuck all of this ever happened is the constant presence of his nightmares. Getting more and more creative and featuring Mark way too often for his liking.

One night he finds himself sitting on his bed, gasping for air. His hand is clenched on Jeno's, probably hurting him. But Jeno doesn't complain, he hushes him, pats his head, guides his breathing.

"You're okay now, Hyuck."

"No, I'm not, Jeno, I'm not, I'm-"

"You're safe here with me, nobody will come to hurt you," Jeno says again, pulling him a bit closer.

"No, no, don't touch me, I am the ones who hurts others, all I cause is pain, I don't want to hurt you, Jeno, I don't want to-"

"You've never hurt me, Donghyuck. And you never will, because you can control yourself. You're more than just the bad things you've done. Your past doesn't have control over you." Donghyuck allows Jeno to pull him into his embrace. It takes a long time until his breath evens out, but even then Jeno doesn't let him go. Listening to Jeno's words, Donghyuck begins to gain hope for himself, for his future.

…

"Guys, I really have to go."

"No, you don't." Jaemin scoffs and turns to lay on his stomach on Jeno's bed. "You want to go."

"Don't you think he deserves an explanation?"

"You don't have to go tonight, though. It's been like, three weeks." Jeno adds from his spot right next to the other boy.

"You're probably just horny," Jaemin says, and Donghyuck can't help but chuckle.

"I might be if you're so interested. But I just feel like it's the right time."

"Whatever. Turn off the ceiling light when you're going out." Jeno huffs and positions himself more comfortably on the bed. Jaemin snuggles up to cuddle him right away.

"Sure, see you guys tomorrow!" Once the door locks behind Donghyuck, Jeno sighs.

"This cannot end up well."

"Yeah, I know." 

"I hate this. It's so frustrating and gosh, I really want to fucking punch Mark. He- He's made so many people sad. Hyuck has cried so many times because of him." 

"That's not the only reason why you're mad at him, isn't it?" Jaemin asks in a quiet voice, playing with the hair on the back of Jeno's head.

"He told Renjun to avoid me. I guess now it's not that important since they're no longer obligated to like… work for the government. But Renjun never came to talk about it with me and I- Damn, Jaemin, I miss him."

"I see…" Jaemin lets out a sigh and looks up to lock eyes with Jeno. "You should talk to him first then. He's been pretty down lately. We barely talk. I think… I'm sure he misses you too."

“I will, thanks, Jaem.” Jeno’s face lights up with a smile. “And how’s your relationship status? Any new girlfriends?”

“Very single. Learned what true love is the hard way.” Then, his smile fades away at Jaemin’s words. “Unrequited.”

“What? Only a fool wouldn’t want you.”

“Oh yeah.” Jaemin laughs and hides his face in the crook of Jeno’s neck. “An absolute idiot.”

“What–”

“Let’s go to sleep now, Jeno. We still have classes tomorrow.”

…

“You finally paid me a visit.”

“I guessed you wouldn’t be mad at me anymore,” Donghyuck says and throws his legs over the windowsill to land on Mark’s bedroom floor. 

“I just wonder why do you always come in through the window.” Mark chuckles and gets up from the bed. “And I wasn’t especially mad at you. A little upset you made the decision without telling me but it’s not like we’re on the same side so…”

“I did this for your sake, Mark. So I hope you won’t tell anybody the person behind the attack is me.”

“Of course I won’t. Renjun and Jisung know already and there’s nobody else I talk to about my superhero career.” Mark goes over to the window and places his hand on his face, studying his features. “By the way, I didn’t know you’re bulletproof,” he says as he lifts the hem of the boy’s shirt.

“I’m not.” Donghyuck slaps his hand away. “And I’ve got ugly scars.”

“Nothing could ever make you ugly.” 

"Oh, stop that. Mark, we…” His voice hitched in his throat. “We shouldn't talk anymore." He whispers. Mark clenches his hands on his shirt, pulling him closer. "At least, for the time being, I just think… That's not convenient. You should, I don't know, rest and recover. If something bad happens, I will take care of it together with Chenle. And while I'm here..." Mark leaves a peck on his lips. "You won't be able to. You…. You should forget about Haechan."

"How could I?" Mark kisses him again. "You're so amazing."

"Donghyuck… Just remember Donghyuck instead."

Donghyuck nearly feels how Mark is aching to get closer, to make him stay. So he does, he lets Mark kiss him and then carry him to bed. He feels regretful this time too, thinking about how miserable that is – for a superhero to fall in love with the villain so deep. It's overwhelming, the love he feels in every kiss Mark lays upon his body, his every scar. He wishes he could fully reciprocate it.

And yet, in the morning Mark wakes up to space beside him already empty and cold.

…

“Are you alright, Donghyuck?”

“Not really. I’m a bit… heartbroken, you could say.” Donghyuck links arms with Jaemin as they walk back into their rooms. The classes were boring. And although he couldn’t get physically tired, the past few days completely drained him out of energy. “You should know that feels.”

“Oh, yeah. Like crap.”

“The worst thing is it doesn’t make sense at all. Like, the entire Mark situation. We were dating, then I realized who he is and started plotting against him. He’s known who I am the entire time. And later we had a fight, I was living up to my name as a supervillain, and then we fucked. Again.” Donghyuck sighs and shakes his head. “I- I had a huge crush on him at first. Later… It all got so messy. He’s too much of a coward to say it, but I know he’s in love with me. Which doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know what to do.”

“Give yourself time, Hyuckie. Maybe leave the city for the summer break, I can take you along to visit my grandparents village.” 

“You need time too, huh?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine but I liked it better when my room was a Jeno-free zone.” Jaemin chuckles but his laugh doesn’t have that happy spark it usually does. “I guess not everybody gets a happy ending.”

“What are you saying?! First thing, we’re twenty-two, this isn’t the ending yet.” Donghyuck elbows his side. 

“Everyone deserves their happy ending!” The two hear Yangyang’s voice from the other end of the hallway.

“At this point, I’m pretty sure this guy has some superpower too,” Donghyuck squints his eyes as he unlocks the door to his room. “Enhanced senses? Hearing?”

The end of the semester comes around so soon, nothing interesting gets the time to happen. Donghyuck goes with Jaemin to the boy’s grandparents’ village and uses his extraordinary abilities to help and work from dawn to sunset. It’s a comfortable and healing time for both of them, all the mornings spent in the backyard, drinking coffee, and eating breakfast prepared by Jaemin’s grandma. During their bonding time, while washing the dishes, Donghyuck gets to tell him about his nightmares and worries. 

The very same summer they visit Chenle’s home in China. Jeno is there too. Jaemin seems okay, hopeful even.

When their senior year starts, Donghyuck’s still just as confused. There is simply no answer to his questions, at least none that he can get by himself. 

...

“I swear, the professor wants us dead, I will–” The knock on the door interrupts Donghyuck’s rant. It’s an early autumn evening like any other, Jeno sprawled on the floor surrounded by his notes and drawings, Donghyuck chugging coffee that he certainly shouldn’t be, trying to focus on studying. “Come in.”

He expects Jaemin, who is once again a frequent guest in their room. Even Renjun is more likely to visit them than _him_. 

“Hi.”

Silence follows until Jeno looks up and snorts.

“Oh, hey, asshat!” He rolls his eyes. “Get out of here before I kick you out myself.”

“Can I at least talk-”

“No, now take your shoes off my fucking sketchbook.”

“It’s okay, Jen.” Donghyuck shifts his gaze to meet Mark’s hopeful and sparkly eyes. “I’ll talk with him outside.”

Donghyuck can’t believe he’s doing this. And yet, there he is – pulled into Mark’s embrace in the dorm’s dim and dirty corridor. 

“I’ve missed you.”

“I can tell.” Donghyuck snorts. “Maybe I’ve missed you too.”

“Maybe?” Mark chuckles and holds his face in his palms. 

“Don’t push your luck,” the younger boy says and leans against the wall. "You know the two of us aren't meant to be."

"Donghyuck…" He furrows his eyebrows. It's been so long since Mark last time used his real name. "I've… I've been thinking a lot and–" 

"Oh my God, Hendery, you almost set me on fire!" They hear a familiar voice coming from a nearby room.

"Are these your friends?" Mark glances towards it and lifts one eyebrow. "Should we check up on them? This sounds a bit alarming."

"It's just Yangyang." Donghyuck shrugs. "And his roommate, I guess." 

"That doesn't tell me much…"

"He'll be fine. He might have been born with some powers too, but we'll talk about it later." Donghyuck takes Mark's face into his palms. "What were you saying?"

"Ah, yeah, I… If what we've been through happened once again, if I had to relive these years…" Mark inhales deeply. "I would have been on your side all along."

Donghyuck's face lights up with a smile. "I'm glad you finally got a brain! If you were on my side we could have easily overthrown the–" Mark gives him a quick peck on the lips.

"Baby, I don't think we should talk about this in public."

Donghyuck blinks a couple of times and nods. "Oh, yeah, I guess. We can't go to my room though, because Jeno will kick you out, and we can't go to Renjun's room because then he will kick _me_ out."

"We can go to my place," Mark says as he takes Donghyuck's hand and places a kiss on it. 

"No, Mark, we need to talk, and if we go there we both know we'll end up doing something else."

Mark laughs and lets it go. "Alright, baby. We'll go for a walk later."

"Baby?"

"Well, people call each other that in relationships." Mark shrugs. 

"In relationships?" Donghyuck lifts one eyebrow.

"We were boyfriends and we never officially broke up, right?"

"I thought that time you almost pushed me out of the window was pretty self-explanatory."

"What? You jumped yourself!"

"I know, I know, I might have fractured my ankle then. The pain was bearable though."

"Everything is bearable to you, baby." Mark fights the urge to place his hand on Donghyuck's cheek. " You shouldn't go so hard on yourself."

"Whatever. I still have to remain in shape. There's always evil to fight and we can't trust your stepfather nor the police."

"What if we found more people like us? There sure are many."

"And what, become the new _Avengers_? Impossible." Donghyuck scoffs.

"Uh, Donghyuck, that, in fact, is very possible." They hear that familiar voice again. "I mean, we'd need a lair and all that, but finding people isn't that hard–"

"Who are you?" Mark turns around to see an orange-haired boy leaning against the door to his room.

"I'm Yangyang, Hyuck's classmate. Sorry for eavesdropping, I can't help that. Enhanced hearing, you know." Donghyuck smiles to himself. He’s always known this guy must be special. "And that's Hendery." Yangyang drags another boy out of the room by the arm. "Electricity and all that."

"How… How many other friends like that you've got?" Mark squints his eyes. 

"Oh. One that we know of." The two boys exchange looks and nod. 

"I've also got one. Maybe two." Mark adds. "Donghyuck, don't you think this is a pretty good idea?"

"You can't be serious…" Donghyuck shakes his head.

"Oh, I can."

…

"Ever since Mark came back Donghyuck's been sneaking out," Jeno complains as he sits down on Renjun's bed between Jaemin and Renjun himself. "He takes Yangyang and his roommate somewhere too. Doesn't it seem sketchy? What if he's doing something super fucking stupid?"

"Let the boy live, Jeno." Renjun sighs. "Mark told me they're the Avengers, apparently."

"That's not very calming. Especially coming from Mark."

"You're worrying about Donghyuck too much," Jaemin says. "You know he's capable of protecting himself." When Jeno sighs, he shakes his head. "Come here, Jen." He makes the boy lean on his shoulder. 

"I feel like he doesn't need me anymore. He's got Mark fucking Lee, the strongest guy on the continent. He might be kinda dumb, but he can protect Hyuck. And what can I do?"

"Don't be an idiot." Renjun slaps his arm and pushes him and Jaemin so that they're laying down. He places his hand on Jeno's chest, right above his heart.

"Donghyuck's your best friend! He's not going to abandon you because he's got other friends too." Jaemin adds and puts his hand over Renjun's. 

"I guess."

"Even if, you've got us."

"He won't do that." He lifts his head to glare at the other boy. "But yeah, you've got us."

Jeno smiles. He covers the boys' hands with his own. 

…

"So that's… the lair." The girl with short brown hair, to be frank, the only girl present, lifts one eyebrow in distaste.

"Well, we're just starting." Mark scratches his nape.

"This cannot be our lair." The black-haired guy in specs sends him a judging look.

"Come on, dude, we worked so hard to find something!" Yangyang grabs his arm.

"You wouldn't have to if you talked to me beforehand."

"Well, have you got anything better?" Donghyuck looks up at the two from the old, barely functioning computer. 

The man scoffs and stands up from the equally old spinning chair. "Do you even know who you're asking?"

The truth is, Donghyuck doesn't. So he lets out a deep sigh and stands up too. He glances at the small group. 

"Then let's go."

**Author's Note:**

> ahh yes. thanks to everyone who made it this far!! if you'd like to see how the story develops and who other characters with powers are i’m writing a sequel :D it'll be filled with more action and crime-fighting than this fic, which focuses more on morality and feelings. although i must admit i loved writing this markhyuck so i hope you enjoyed reading it as well~


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